Tell Me What You Love
by Evendale
Summary: This fic is a continuation of Tell Me What You Like. Where TMWYL was an exploration of Sergio and Raquel's relationship in their 'honeymoon phase', this fic will explore their life together as a family. You don't need to have read Tell Me What You Like to enjoy this fic, but I do recommend it :)
1. Chapter 1

Raquel lay in bed, smiling, watching the rays of the morning sun filter through the thin white curtains. She was under strict instructions from both Sergio and her daughter that she was not to leave the bedroom under any circumstances, and she waited patiently as she heard clattering and laughter coming from the kitchen. She'd woken up an hour ago when Sergio had snuck out of the door, and she had gotten up to shower, then slipped back into bed to wait. She knew what day it was, she knew what to expect, but she loved the fact that Sergio and Paula were preparing this 'surprise' together. After three months of living together, Sergio was finally getting more comfortable around her daughter, though he still got nervous sometimes and often came to Raquel for advice. He took his role in Paula's life very seriously indeed.

A tantalizing smell was now coming from the kitchen, and Raquel propped herself up against some pillows in anticipation. A few minutes later, she heard giggling outside the bedroom door, then the door opened and Paula and Sergio came in, carrying a big bunch of flowers and a breakfast tray respectively. Paula jumped onto the bed, handed her the flowers, then threw her arms around her neck and kissed her on the cheek.

"Happy Mother's Day!"

Raquel hugged her daughter and kissed her back. "Thank you, my darling! What a lovely surprise!"

She looked up at Sergio, who grinned at her and winked. "Happy Mother's Day, Raquel."

"I have a gift for you!" Paula said, then raced out of the room.

She put the flowers aside as Sergio deposited the tray on her lap, laden with pancakes, fruit, fresh orange juice and coffee. The pancake on top of the pile was cut in the shape of a heart, and Raquel smiled up at him in delight.

"Aren't you just the cutest", she said, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him in for a kiss.

They broke apart as Paula came running back into the room, then proudly presented Raquel with a drawing she'd made. In it, Paula had drawn herself, Raquel, Sergio and Marivi on the beach in front of their house. Underneath the figures, Paula had written: 'For the best mom in the world', but what really touched Raquel was the single word she had written at the top of the page: 'Home'. She pulled her daughter into an embrace and kissed her all over her face so the girl squealed with laughter and tried to wriggle free.

"Thank you sweetheart, I love it! Now, do you want to share my pancakes?"

Sergio sat down on the edge of the bed as Paula settled herself next to Raquel and accepted bites of pancake. After a while, Marivi appeared in the doorframe, and Raquel smiled at her.

"Happy Mother's Day, mamá."

Marivi smiled back. "And to you too, _mi hija_."

"How are you feeling today?"

"Awake."

"Good", Raquel said, recognizing her mother's way of expressing that she woke up clear-headed.

"What are your plans today?"

Sergio cleared his throat. "I thought we could all go on a little trip together."

Paula looked up, eyes shining. "Yes!"

"Where?" Raquel asked.

He smiled. "It's a surprise."

Paula scooted over to him. "But you can tell me! It's Mother's Day, so it should only be a surprise for mom." She leaned her head close to his. "Whisper it so she doesn't hear."

He shook his head, still smiling. "No, it's a surprise for you, too."

Paula protested, but Sergio was adamant. Raquel smiled as she watched them argue. She'd been a bit worried about how Sergio would adapt to life with her family, to a child and a grandmother suddenly barging in on his peace and quiet, but he seemed to be taking it all in his stride. She was careful to give him plenty of time to himself, keeping Paula away from his study when he was working, and in return, he seemed happy to spend time with them.

She put her tray aside for a moment and stretched on the bed so she could nudge him with her foot. He looked up at her, smiling, and they shared a long look. As Paula chatted away obliviously, he stretched out a hand and ran light fingers over the sheet from her ankle to her knee. Marivi suddenly cleared her throat.

"Paula, shall we go for a walk?"

"If mom comes too."

"Don't you think we should let her finish her breakfast in peace?"

"Then I want to stay here with her."

Marivi tried a different tack. "There was a high tide tonight. There will be a lot of new shells on the beach."

Paula hesitated. She did love shells.

"Maybe we could find your mom one of those pretty pink shells that are so rare."

"I _would _love one of those on my bedside table", Raquel added persuasively, and Paula relented and got off the bed.

"Will Anna come with us?" she asked, referring to Marivi's nurse, who had become part of the family.

"Of course", Marivi said. She threw a meaningful look back at Sergio and Raquel on the bed. "The weather is so lovely today, I'm in the mood for a nice, _long _walk. I think we'll be gone for _at least an hour_."

They left, and Marivi closed the door behind them. Raquel grinned broadly at Sergio.

"I love it when she has a lucid day. So considerate of her."

Sergio frowned at her in confusion. "Considerate?"

"To get Paula out of our way for an hour."

He looked even more confused. "Was she in the way?"

She laughed. "Sergio, she left us alone so we could have sex."

"Oh!" he said, coloring. "That's… embarrassing. Were we that obvious?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't think we were, my mother's just very perceptive. Or she used to be, before…" She trailed off, then shook herself and smiled. "Besides, she's your biggest fan. Has been since the beginning."

He gave her a shy smile and seemed very pleased.

"So", she continued, sitting up and caressing the back of his neck. "Shall we make the most of this stolen hour?"

His eyes were warm as he looked at her. "Yes please."

She kissed him, then whispered: "Go lock the door, then."

He hurried to do so, then turned and gave her such a look that a shiver ran down her spine.

"One hour", he said, slowly walking around the bed, his eyes not leaving hers. "We can do all sorts of things in an hour."

"Yes", she said, her eyes dancing. "We could play chess, for example. Or do laundry. Bake cookies."

He nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "All excellent suggestions. Can I make one, too?"

"Of course", she said, and he put his fingers under her chin, gently tilted her head up, and kissed her right underneath the line of her jaw.

"Hmm", she smiled. "That's a great proposal. Do you have any arguments to support it?"

He responded by kissing her throat, and she tipped her head back and sighed, running her fingers through his hair. "You make an excellent case. But I think I'm going to need a little more convincing."

She leaned back into the pillows as he moved down to kiss her chest. When he nipped at a nipple through her top, she hummed in contentment. "I have to say that's very persuasive."

He smiled and took off her top, then flicked his tongue over the very tip of her nipple, and she gasped as the sensation of it went straight through her to start up a delicious tingle between her legs. Then he ran his tongue in slow circles around her other nipple, until she was squirming for him to take it into his mouth. When he kept teasing her, she made a plaintive sound and he looked up, one eyebrow raised.

"Have I convinced you already?"

She nodded, and he finally closed his mouth over her nipple and sucked. She gasped out an 'oh!' and tangled her fingers into his hair. After several seconds, he stopped and looked up again.

"But I haven't even made my strongest argument yet."

"I'm all ears", she murmured, smiling as he took off her pajama pants. Then she frowned. "Hey, that's not fair, I'm naked and you're still fully dressed. Take off your clothes."

He shook his head as he spread her legs and settled himself between her thighs. "I don't need to be undressed for what I have in mind."

"Now", he said, between pressing kisses to the inside of her thighs. "Are you sure this is how you want to spend this hour?" He gave her the lightest of licks, and she shivered. "We could still… bake cookies?"

"No", she whispered. "You've convinced me."

"Are you sure?" he asked, flicking his tongue again.

"Yes", she breathed, opening her legs a little further. He accepted her invitation and ran his tongue over her – one long, lingering stroke that made her sigh. Then he looked up again.

"Really sure?"

She laughed. "Sergio, if you don't stop teasing me immediately, I'm going to sit on your face. We only have an hour, now _move_!"

"As m'lady commands", he murmured, then pressed his mouth to her. She threw her head back and breathed in sharply, gripping the edge of her pillow. He knew exactly where to go to make her moan, circling and licking and dipping down every once in a while to taste her. When she was wet enough, he slipped in two fingers, palm up, and firmly pressed upwards. She arched her back and tilted her hips to increase the pressure, and he struck up a rhythm with his fingers and tongue that soon had her gasping. He shifted a little, and she moaned as his tongue hit the _exact _right spot. Taking her cue, he focused exclusively on the one spot now, picking up the pace a little, and she soon felt the wave inside her begin to build. What he was doing felt _so _delicious, part of her didn't want it to be over so soon, but her body reacted to his expert caresses with such enthusiasm that she could only grip the sheets and moan as the wave crested and broke, a fiery tingling washing over her for several long seconds until he eased off and she relaxed back onto the bed, breathing hard.

He pressed kisses to her thighs as she recovered. Then she propped herself up on her elbows and smiled at him.

"That was amazing. Now come up and finally take off your clothes."

He shook his head. "I want to do this again."

"But it always takes a little longer the second time."

"You know I don't mind that."

She glanced at her watch. "But our hour is almost halfway already. We won't have time for anything else afterwards."

"That's okay", he said, inching his way up again.

"But what about you?"

"Today is your day. Let me spoil you."

He pressed his mouth to her again, and she fell back into the pillows with a sigh and a smile.

"Well, if you insist…"

He gave her plenty of time to warm up again, running his tongue all over her, avoiding her most sensitive spot for a while, allowing her to recover entirely before venturing there again. When he finally did, she sighed and stretched luxuriously, fully enjoying the lovely sensation of his tongue on her, doing exactly what she liked best. The feeling inside her returned, more slowly this time – a soft, languorous tingling starting right at her center and making her moan softly.

"Oh, that feels _so good_. Don't stop."

His fingers entered her again, adding another delicious sensation, and she surrendered herself to him completely. He kept his touch lighter this time, taking into account that she was already sensitive, and she reached down and twined her fingers into his hair, sighing with pleasure. He kept going, and soon she felt the pressure begin to build again, filling her up slowly, getting her closer and closer, and then suddenly she was there and the feeling swept through her again, more intense and lasting longer than the first time, making her tremble and moan his name, over and over and over again. Finally it subsided, and she pushed gently against his head to make him ease off. He didn't stop immediately, though, eliciting several delicious aftershocks by stroking her, feather-light, with his tongue.

Finally he stopped and moved up, taking her into his arms and stroking her shoulder and back as her breathing slowly returned to normal. She shot a look at her watch.

"Fifteen more minutes. Do you want to risk it?"

He shook his head. "Let's not push our luck. They might not stay gone for a full hour after all, and I'd hate to get interrupted."

She nodded. "I agree."

He pressed a kiss to her hair. "Oh, I've missed this."

She smiled. "What do you mean? You went down on me only yesterday."

"No, I don't mean that. I've just missed making love with you in the mornings. During the week, we have to get up so early to get Paula to school, and in the weekends she's usually knocking on our door before we've had the chance."

She shot him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I know it's not the same as when it was just the two of us."

He smiled at her. "It's okay, I'm not complaining. This was just a nice change of pace, that's all. I really enjoyed it."

"But you didn't even get anything out of it."

"Ah", he said, his eyes sparkling. "That's where you're wrong."

They lingered a few more minutes, then got out of bed. Raquel got dressed, then went to get more coffee. When she entered the kitchen, her eyebrows shot up.

"Sergio?" she called to him, "Did we have a very local hurricane?"

He came into the kitchen too, and ran an embarrassed hand through his hair as he observed the state of it. "I'm sorry, Paula and I got a little… enthusiastic preparing you breakfast."

"Well", she said, "we can't leave this for the cleaning lady, she'll quit the moment she sees this."

She moved to start cleaning up, but he caught her around her waist.

"No, no", he said. "I can't possibly allow you to clean on Mother's Day. This is my mess, I'll take care of it. Why don't you pack us some lunch in the meantime, so we can leave when Paula and your mother get back."

Ten minutes later, Paula came running into the kitchen, pink-cheeked and proudly presenting her mother with a beautifully curled pink shell. Raquel kissed her.

"Thank you, sweetheart. Now you help Sergio clean up the mess you made."

Paula grumbled, but when Raquel pressed a tea towel into her hands, she helped dry the things Sergio was washing. Fifteen minutes later, with the kitchen clean and lunch packed, they were ready to leave. At the last moment, Marivi decided not to go with them. The clear-headedness she had woken up with was starting to fade, and she said she'd rather stay in her familiar surroundings. Raquel kissed her and left her in the competent hands of her nurse.

They got into the car and drove off, playing car games with Paula to pass the time on the long drive. The girl kept asking Sergio where they were going, but he stubbornly refused to say. Raquel didn't say anything, but she was bursting with curiosity as well. Around noon, they found a tiny deserted beach at the foot of a cliff, and they descended the steep stairs carefully to have a picnic on the sand. After eating, Paula put on her bathing suit and went to play in the waves, while Sergio and Raquel leaned back against the rough rock, hand in hand, and watched her.

"So where are we going?" she asked him the moment Paula was out of earshot.

"I'm not telling you, it's a surprise."

"Come on", she wheedled. "I'm not a child anymore, I'm too old for surprises."

He smiled. "I don't agree."

"Just _tell _me Sergio!"

He laughed. "You're as bad as your daughter!"

She nudged him with her elbow. "Tell me!"

He looked at her, eyebrows raised. "No."

She put her arms around his neck. "Please tell me?"

"Still no."

She pushed him over onto the sand, then sat on top of him. He was so surprised that she got his wrists pinned to the ground before he knew what was happening.

"Hey!", he said indignantly. "I'm sure this isn't a sanctioned interrogation technique!"

She grinned. "Tell me and I'll let you go."

He gave her a stubborn look. "You know, I could easily get out of this."

"I'm sure you could", she said, amused.

"But I don't want to hurt you."

"You're very considerate."

"You're setting a terrible example for your daughter."

"She's not looking."

She lowered her face until it was only inches away from his. "Tell me."

He shook his head. She bent down and bit his earlobe. "Tell me."

He shook his head again, and she brushed his lips with hers. As she was pulling back, though, he lifted his head and kissed her, and she couldn't resist kissing him back. He flicked his tongue over her lips, and she opened her mouth to deepen the kiss, losing herself in it for a moment. The very second he felt her relax, he broke her grip on his wrists, closed his arms around her and rolled her over, pinning her to the ground with his body on top of hers. She laughed and he grinned down at her.

"Never let down your guard, Inspectora. You should have known better."

"I suppose I should have", she smiled, not particularly bothered.

He bent his head to kiss her again, then he got off her and helped her up. "Let's go. We shouldn't get there too late."

Raquel called Paula back from the ocean, wrapped her in a towel and rubbed her dry. When the girl was dressed again, they went back to the car for the last stretch to their destination. Finally they passed a sign that gave away where they were going. Paula had been studying English intensively over the past three months, both in her international school and with a private tutor, so she could read the sign.

"Underground river tours!" she exclaimed, her eyes big. "Cool! Does that mean we are going to be in a boat on a river _under the ground_?"

"We are", Sergio smiled.

Raquel smiled too. She loved little adventures like this just as much as Paula did. Sergio parked the car, and they got out, paid at the ticket stall, then were guided to an entrance into a big, rocky hill. Their guide took them down a flight of rough stairs, hewn out of the rock itself, and as they went deeper and deeper, the air became damp and a little chilly. Paula shivered with the excitement of it, and Raquel took Sergio's hand and squeezed. At the bottom of the stairs, a small boat was waiting for them. Their guide got in first, then held out his hand to help in Raquel. Sergio went next, then he lifted Paula into the boat, to sit between him and her mother. The guide untied the boat and it was caught up in the slow current of the river, while the guide used a long stick to keep them away from the edges. The river took them along, and after a few minutes, they entered a long dark tunnel. The only light now was the one the guide was carrying.

"Don't worry", the man said. "This is the darkest part."

Paula shivered again, and Sergio looked down at her. "What do you think, Paula?"

"It's a little scary", the girl admitted, shifting closer to him and slipping her hand in his.

Sergio's eyes went big, and he hardly dared move as he looked over Paula's head at Raquel, who gave him a radiant smile. He held the girl's hand in his so very carefully as the boat moved on, until the tunnel suddenly opened up into a large underground chamber, where colored lights were mounted on the walls, illuminating dramatic displays of stalactites and stalagmites hanging from the ceiling and growing up from the ground. They all gasped at the beauty of it, looking around with big eyes, and Paula pulled away her hand to point at the various impressive formations that surrounded them. After the first chamber, there was a second one, and a third. In between, the river took them along various passages, sometimes so narrow that the sides of the boat scraped the walls, one time so low that Sergio had to bend his head. It was all a thrilling adventure, but the best was saved for last. The final chamber wasn't as big as the ones before, but the walls were covered in tiny crystals, sparkling brilliantly in the mounted lights. Paula's eyes were as big as saucers, and Sergio and Raquel were equally impressed. The guide threw a loop of rope around a nearby stalagmite so the boat remained stationary, allowing them to look for as long as they wanted. Finally, Sergio nodded and they drifted onwards again. One final narrow passage led them outside, where they blinked their eyes against the sudden light of the sun, feeling like they were emerging from a fairytale world of wonders.

Paula kept chattering excitedly as they walked back to the car, and Raquel took Sergio by the hand and kissed his cheek.

"What a lovely surprise", she said, and he gave her a warm smile.

"I'm glad you liked it."

On the drive back, Paula fell asleep fairly quickly. Raquel looked back at her and smiled.

"Tired out by the excitement of the day."

Sergio glanced sideways at her for a moment, then said in a low voice, filled with wonder. "Raquel, did you see that she took my hand?"

She gave him a tender smile. "Yes, I saw."

"She was scared, and she took _my _hand."

"She feels safe with you."

He shook his head, unable to believe it.

They talked softly as they drove the rest of the way home. Paula woke up as the car stopped in front of their house, and she ran straight inside to tell her grandmother all about the day's adventures. Sergio went out to get them dinner from a street food stall, and they all ate together companionably, Marivi a little confused at times, but otherwise alright.

After dinner, Raquel took Paula straight to bed. It was their little ritual for Raquel to read to Paula for a bit before she had to go to sleep, and they were starting their first English book tonight, to stimulate Paula's learning of the language. Raquel had chosen 'Matilda', by Roald Dahl, and Paula liked the first chapter so much that she begged for a second one.

"No", Raquel said. "You had a long day, you need to sleep now."

"But I slept in the car! I feel sooo awake!" The girl opened her eyes wide to show how awake she was. "Another chapter, please?"

Raquel shook her head. "My voice is getting tired."

Paula gave her a sly look. "Maybe _Sergio _will want to read a chapter?"

Raquel suppressed a smile. "I don't know, darling, he's probably busy."

"I'll ask him!" she said, then jumped out of bed before Raquel could stop her, returning only seconds later with a confused-looking Sergio in tow.

"_What _do you want me for, exactly?"

"To read to me!" the girl said, getting back into bed and making room for him to sit next to her.

Sergio looked at Raquel, who smiled and shrugged. "If you don't mind?"

"No, of course not. I… I just don't know if I'll be any good at it."

Raquel got under the sheets with Paula, and wrapped her arm around her daughter as Sergio settled himself against the pillows on the other side of the girl and took up the book. He started off a little hesitantly, but soon found his stride as he got caught up in the story. His English was smoother than Raquel's, and he didn't trip over Dahl's quirky vocabulary. Paula looked up at him in absolute delight as they came at a piece of dialogue and he started using funny voices for each of the characters: a nasal whine for Matilda's mother, a deep, dark rumble for the Bulstrode and a mere whisper for Miss Honey. Raquel allowed him to continue for two full chapters, caught up by his performance herself, before reminding herself of the fact that it was past Paula's bedtime and she should put an end to the show.

Paula embraced her mother, then pressed a kiss to Sergio's cheek, making him blush furiously. They all said goodnight, then Sergio and Raquel left and closed the bedroom door.

"That's a good story", Sergio said. "I'm really enjoying it."

Raquel smiled. "A story about a child who loves books and is smarter than everyone around her? Yes, I thought you might like that."

"Do you think Paula might let me read to her again tomorrow?"

She snorted. "After tonight's performance, I don't think you'll have a choice."

He turned to her with serious eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude on this time you share with your daughter."

She smiled at him and stroked his cheek. "Oh darling, don't worry about that. It makes me so happy that Paula is taking to you so well."

He gave her an appealing look. "Do you think she likes me?"

"I'm sure she does."

He sighed in relief. "I'm so glad Raquel, you have no idea."

Sergio spent the rest of the evening reading, while Raquel, Marivi and Anna sat outside at the porch table, drinking tea and talking. Two hours later, when they were in bed together, Raquel turned to him.

"So", she said. "If I'm not mistaken, today we've been here exactly three months. Time for a first assessment? How are you finding life with four women in the house?"

"Five", he corrected her.

She frowned. "Me, Paula, mother and Anna. That's four."

"You're forgetting Amber."

She laughed. "Yes, right, of course, how could I forget the cat. So: life with five women in the house?"

He thought about it for a moment, while she watched him a little anxiously.

"It's very different from how my life was before", he said finally.

She gave him an apologetic look. "I know. I'm sorry."

"I didn't say that was a bad thing!" he hastened to add. "Though it's not always easy. I'm still very nervous about doing something wrong around Paula. It's sad to see Marivi on her bad days. Sometimes I wouldn't mind a little more peace and quiet. I also wouldn't mind some more time alone with you."

She nodded. "I understand. Please tell me if there's anything I can do to make this easier on you. I know you didn't ask for any of this."

He gave her a surprised look. "But I did."

"You did?"

"Do you think I walked into this with my eyes closed? I knew perfectly well what I was getting into, Raquel. You asked me, that morning in your bedroom, if I would really cross the world with a mother and a daughter and a grandmother, and I said yes. I meant that. I've never not meant it. I may not have realized what it would entail _exactly_, but I knew enough to make an informed decision."

"But why did you agree to it in the first place?"

He looked at her earnestly. "Because you make it all worthwhile."

She gave him a tender smile. "Really?"

"Really. And there's something I didn't expect."

"What?"

"How nice it can be to have a family. I like playing games in the evenings. I like the conversations around the dinner table. I like the laughter. My life is so much more chaotic than it was before, but there's so much more love in it, too. And earlier today, when Paula took my hand… that sort of thing is so humbling, in the best way. I had never imagined myself with a family, Raquel. But now that it's here, I wouldn't want to change it. You know what the best part of my life was, before I met you?"

"Tell me."

"The months we spent at the house in Toledo, preparing the heist. That was my first taste of life in a big family, and I loved it. This is almost like that. Only better, because now I have you."

She leaned in to press a soft kiss to his lips. "You're everything a woman could ask for."

He gave her a crooked smile. "I'm really not, but I appreciate the sentiment. And speaking of what a woman could ask for…"

He nuzzled her neck, and she hummed her approval. It only took him a few minutes before she was gasping his name.


	2. Stress

Raquel sighed and rubbed her neck. She was sitting next to Paula at the kitchen table, trying to help her daughter with her homework while keeping an eye on the dinner she was cooking. Paula had a sullen expression on her face as she did her sums. She was doing well in school overall, but she hated math, and getting her to do her math homework was a daily struggle for Raquel.

"No, Paula", she corrected, a little impatiently, as the girl made the same error for the third time. "I _just _explained this to you. I know you understand it, you're just making mistakes because you're not really thinking about what you're doing."

"I _am _thinking!" Paula complained. "It's just too hard! I can't do it!"

Raquel took a deep breath and continued in a calmer voice: "Yes, you can. It's not that difficult, look…"

She took up a pencil and explained the sum again, going over it twice to make sure it sank in. She was so absorbed in her work that she didn't notice the smell coming from the stove until Paula wrinkled her nose and said:

"I think something's burning."

Raquel jumped up and whipped the pan off the stove, but it was already too late. The curry she'd spent an hour preparing was ruined. She didn't want to swear in front of her daughter, so she just fumed quietly as she threw the ruined food away and set the pan to soaking in the sink.

"Looks like we'll be having dinner from one of the street food stalls tonight."

Paula looked up with shining eyes. "I want the one with the fried rice!"

"We already had that once this week, _mi amor_, and it's not very healthy."

"But it's the only one I like!"

"How about the one with the tofu and the steamed vegetables? You love their sauce."

"No", Paula said stubbornly, crossing her arms. "I want fried rice."

Raquel sighed. "Fine. But just this once!"

As Paula continued working on her homework, Raquel scrubbed the pan with a feeling of guilt. She should make sure her daughter got healthy food, but there were only so many battles she could fight in one day. There were the fights every morning about clothes and breakfast and not wanting to go to school, then the struggles over homework and bedtime. She shook her head. Paula had always been such a sweet, easy-going child, but the situation in school was, understandably, making her angry and difficult.

"How were things today with Janet?" Raquel asked carefully.

Paula's face went blank. "Fine."

"Has she called you names again?"

The girl didn't answer.

"Is she still pushing you on the playground?"

No answer.

"Paula, if you don't tell me if she's still bullying you, I can't do anything about it."

"You can't do anything about it anyway."

"I could talk to your teacher again."

"Don't! Last time she talked about it to the entire class, and everyone called me a tattle-tale."

"You're not a tattle-tale, sweetheart. You're not supposed to stay quiet if other people treat you badly. If Janet's still hurting you, you have to tell me."

Paula just stared at her exercise book and said nothing.

Raquel frowned in frustration. "I could try calling Janet's mom again?"

"No! That only made it worse."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing."

"Paula! What did Janet do?"

The expression on the girl's face was entirely closed-off. "Nothing."

"Have you tried standing up to her?"

Paula frowned, but didn't reply. Raquel sighed in exasperation.

"Sweetheart, if you don't talk to me, I can't help you!"

Marivi entered the kitchen, a dreamy smile on her face, her eyes wandering over objects and people alike without really registering anything. She went to the fridge, opened it, looked inside and then moved away from it again. Raquel went over to close the door, only to turn around and find Marivi next to the stove.

"Mamá, don't touch that, it's still hot!"

Marivi stretched out a hand anyway, and Raquel hurried over to pull her away.

"Don't touch that", she repeated gently. "It will hurt you."

Marivi smiled at her. "I'm just cooking dinner."

"No, mamá", Raquel corrected her softly. "You don't have to cook dinner tonight, I'll take care of that. Now where's your nurse? Anna!"

The harassed-looking nurse came into the kitchen. "Oh, there she is! I'm sorry Raquel, I turned around for just a second and she was gone. I thought she'd gone outside again, and in this rain…"

"Please take her to her room and read to her. That usually calms her down."

"I'm sorry", Anna said again, taking Marivi's hand. "I should have paid better attention."

"It's okay", Raquel said tiredly. "Taking care of her on days like this really is a two-man job."

As the women left the kitchen, Raquel turned around and caught Paula doodling idly in the margin of her exercise book.

"Paula, sweetheart, finish your sums. If you don't hurry, you won't be done before dinner."

Paula rolled her eyes and bent over her book again. Raquel wanted to stay and keep an eye on her, but she needed to go out and get dinner, since the curry was ruined.

"You better be done with your homework by the time I get back, young lady!" she warned Paula sternly, but she still wasn't convinced the sums would actually get done if she left the room. It was dark and rainy outside, and the wind whipped the drops under her umbrella, soaking her through. She was in a pretty bad mood by the time she got home again and discovered that Paula hadn't made any progress on her sums. She scolded her daughter as she set the table, then felt bad for being too harsh. Anna and Marivi appeared and sat down to eat, and Raquel went to Sergio's study, knocked, and opened the door. The moment she saw him look up at her and smile, a little of the tension in her shoulders seemed to melt away.

"Dinner's ready", she said, and he got up, walked over to her and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head against his chest for a moment.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing, I'm just a little tired."

"Anything I can do to help?"

She smiled up at him. "No, that's alright. Let's go and eat before it gets cold."

He raised his eyebrows as he entered the kitchen. "I thought you said you were making curry tonight?"

"It got burned."

He kissed her cheek. "Well, this is fine, too."

They sat down and started, but Raquel was more focused on convincing her mother to eat than on eating herself. Anna offered several times to take over, but when Marivi was having a bad day, only Raquel could get her to eat. After dinner, Anna took Marivi outside to sit on the porch and watch the waves in the moonlight. Sergio helped clear the plates, then proposed they play a game.

"No", Raquel said. "Paula still needs to finish her homework, and I'm going to do the dishes."

"I can help you with those."

"Don't bother", she said, waving him away. "I need to stay here to keep an eye on Paula anyway."

He disappeared back into his study. Paula took a long time over her sums, only finishing them right before bedtime. Then there was an argument, because she wanted to watch cartoons, while her mother insisted it was time for bed.

"But I haven't done anything fun tonight!"

"Then you should have worked harder on finishing your homework."

"Can Sergio at least read to me?"

"Fine", Raquel relented. "But only one chapter."

While Sergio was reading to Paula, Raquel got out her laptop and paperwork and settled herself at the kitchen table. Since she'd gone back to Spain, Sergio had been volunteering several times a week at an organization that kept children and teenagers off the streets after school. After she came back, he had continued to do much of their administration, and he'd gotten Raquel to help out, too. Bookkeeping wasn't really her thing, but she discovered that she really enjoyed organizing fundraising events. She loved being in charge of a team again, tackling the various challenges and problems that came along, working with a group of young, enthusiastic people towards a meaningful goal. In fact, she was so good at it that other non-profits started contacting her, and soon she had more work than she could really handle.

She stopped working only for a minute to kiss Paula goodnight, and an hour later her mother, then continued until Sergio was suddenly standing next to her chair.

"Aren't you coming to bed?"

"Just ten more minutes."

He stroked her shoulder. "I feel like I've barely seen you all day."

"I just need to get this done."

He put his hands in his pockets. "Raquel, forgive me, as this is none of my business, but aren't you working rather hard?"

She smiled up at him. "It's just temporary. Things will calm down again after the fundraiser next week."

"Alright", he said hesitantly. "If you say so. I'm going to bed. Please come soon."

"I will", she said, but it was another half hour before she was finally done.

He was reading when she got to the bedroom. She quickly brushed her teeth and put on her pajamas, then joined him in bed. She sighed happily as he put away his book and opened his arms to her so she could cuddle up against him. This was reliably the best part of her day – just lying with him, talking, usually making love. Tonight, he stroked her shoulder as she told him about the difficulties she was having with the fundraiser. He listened patiently until she was done talking, then he ran his hand down her back, and she responded by pressing closer to him.

"Do you want to…?" he asked.

"Yes please", she replied, lifting her face to press her lips against his. She couldn't wait to lose herself in his caresses and forget about her worries for a bit.

He lifted himself up on an elbow and leaned down to kiss her properly, his hand running slowly down the side of her body. She ran her fingers through his hair and over his shoulder, and she felt the usual tingle between her legs as he kissed her neck. Even after four months of living together and having sex almost every night, she still couldn't get enough of him, her body still responding with enthusiasm to his slightest touch.

He moved down and nipped at a nipple through her top, and she sighed with pleasure, already imagining him inside her. Moving further down, he pushed up her top and kissed her stomach, gradually making his way back up to take a nipple into his mouth. As he sucked gently, she moaned and twined her fingers into his hair, keeping him there for several seconds as the tingle between her legs became a steady fire. Suddenly she couldn't wait anymore. She pulled her top over her head, then wriggled out of her pants as he took his off, too. He seemed to sense how eager she was, because he lost no more time, only dipping his hand between her legs for a moment to see if she was ready, then he covered her body with his and kissed her. She moved her hand down and guided him in, then moaned softly as he entered her.

She wrapped her legs around him to pull him in deeper, and let out a short, whispered 'oh!' at every thrust. It felt so good, _so _good. After a while, he pulled back, gripped her tightly and rolled over so she was on top. She sat up and set a faster pace, while his hand slipped between her legs and he started stroking her. It felt delicious, but after a few moments, she realized that the tension that usually built so quickly in this position wasn't manifesting. Something felt off, though she couldn't pinpoint what, exactly. She gently pushed his hand away and used her own fingers instead, but even when she touched the exact right spot, she couldn't quite evoke the feeling. He suddenly tensed underneath her, eyes closed, his grip on her hips tightening for several long moments as the orgasm rushed through him. Then he relaxed again and looked up at her guiltily.

"I'm sorry", he said. "I was too fast. It's just… you look so sexy when you do that."

"It's okay", she said, nevertheless a little disappointed.

She slid off him and nestled against his side, and he stroked her back.

"Turn around", he whispered. "Then I'll continue."

"No", she said, suddenly feeling tired. "It's alright, really. I'm too exhausted to come. Let's just go to sleep."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes", she smiled, tilting her head up to kiss him. "Goodnight."

She turned onto her side and he curled himself around her. Within minutes, his breathing was deep and even, but she lay awake for a while yet, unable to quiet her mind.

…

The next morning was awful. Paula cried and cried because she didn't want to go to school, and Raquel was at her wits' end. She tried being understanding, she tried being firm, she tried soothing words, but nothing helped, and it broke her hear to see her daughter so unhappy. Finally, Sergio shot her a look that asked if he could intervene, and she nodded.

"Paula", he said, "I've been thinking. Would you like to go to the waterfalls at Puerto Princessa this weekend?"

That distracted her enough to stop crying. "Can we go swimming again like last time?"

"Of course."

"And can I have ice cream?"

Sergio looked at Raquel, who said: "Yes, you can."

The girl rubbed her cheeks dry, then took up her bag without any further protest, her mind filled with glorious images of blue water and ice cream. Raquel shot Sergio a grateful look and herded her daughter to the car. It was a half hour drive to the international school, and when Raquel got home an hour later, she was glad to see that Sergio had taken care of the breakfast dishes and that he was waiting to talk to her at the kitchen table.

"Raquel", he said, "That was so sad to watch. Can't we do something?"

She sighed as she sat down. "We've talked about this already. There's only one international school on the island, and I don't want her going to a local school."

"I understand that. But she's so unhappy. What if we pulled her out of school entirely?"

"You mean, homeschool her?"

"Yes."

She hesitated. "But then she would have so few opportunities for social interaction. I don't want her growing up isolated and without friends."

He rubbed his eyes. "Then what do you propose? We can't keep sending her to school crying Raquel, I'm sorry, I can't bear it."

"Neither can I", she said. "I'll think about it."

She spent the morning out at the organization she was doing the fundraiser for, putting people to work and solving problems that had arisen seemingly overnight. At noon, she returned home to prepare lunch, and then she had to stay home because it was Anna's afternoon off. Her mother was having another difficult day, so Raquel had to retrieve her twice from the ocean and change her clothes, before finally getting her to quiet down by reading to her. Then Sergio took over watching Marivi while Raquel got Paula from school, and there was the usual struggle over homework, with Raquel silently cursing the teacher for setting math homework every damn day. She was so relieved when Sergio offered to make dinner so she could focus on Paula's sums, which meant that they got done before dinner this time.

After dinner, her mother went to bed early and Raquel settled down behind her laptop again while Sergio read to Paula. It took her a while to realize that he was taking his sweet time tonight, reading on way past the girl's bedtime. She got up to tell them that it was time to sleep, but at the half-open bedroom door, she stopped. It wasn't Sergio's voice she was hearing in there, but Paula's.

"… and then Janet said that I was stupid and she pushed me. I fell and I hurt my wrist and all her friends laughed. And today she stole my pencil case and she wouldn't give it back until I told Miss Hanson and then she had to, but her friends said that I was a baby for telling the teacher."

Raquel peeked in and saw Sergio and Paula sitting side by side on the bed, the book forgotten between him as he listened to her with the utmost attention. She felt like she was intruding. She went back to the kitchen and sat down at the table, staring blankly at her laptop. Ten minutes later, Sergio came in to say that Paula was ready for bed and wanted a kiss. She went and kissed her daughter goodnight, then returned to the kitchen, where Sergio was waiting for her.

Raquel sat down heavily. "She talked to you about Janet?"

"Yes", he said. "I know it was her bedtime, but I thought it better to let her talk."

She nodded, tears rising to her eyes. "Well, I'm glad she feels that she can confide in you."

"Why do you sound so upset?"

The tears spilled over. "She won't talk to me about it. I'm her mother, and she doesn't trust me enough to tell me what's going on."

He leaned over to put his hand on hers. "No, you know that's not true. Of course she trusts you."

"Then why is she talking to you and not to me?"

He hesitated. "Well, I don't know what's going on inside her head, of course, but can I make an educated guess?"

She nodded, and he continued: "I think she talked to me because she knows I won't try to help her."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"She told me how things got worse for her after you talked to her teacher and called Janet's mother. She doesn't want you to do any of that again, so she doesn't tell you how bad things are. But she knows I won't try to interfere, because it's not my place."

She wiped her eyes. "That makes sense. So what did Janet do?"

He gave her an apologetic look. "I promised her I wouldn't tell you."

"Sergio! I can't believe you made that promise!"

"I didn't know what I was promising! She made me swear before she told me anything, I didn't think it would be something this serious. Now I know I shouldn't agree to something like that again, but I can't break my promise to her."

She sighed. "Yes, alright. Just tell me if it's still bad."

"It's still bad."

"I'll call Janet's mother again tomorrow."

He nodded. "I think that would be best."

Raquel spent another hour on the fundraiser, then got Sergio out of his study so they could go to bed together. The moment she was in his arms, she lifted her face and kissed him. He pulled back slightly as her hand slid down his stomach.

"Are you sure you're in the mood tonight?"

"Yes", she said. "I just want to get my mind off of things for a while."

He smiled. "I think I can help you with that."

She smiled back at him. "I'm sure you can."

He was sweet with her tonight, covering her with tender kisses and caresses that nevertheless didn't fail to get her turned on. When she was ready, he turned her onto her side and came to lie close behind her, taking her in his arms and hugging her tight while taking her with slow, deliberate strokes that made her sigh with pleasure. His hand slipped between her thighs and she moaned softly as his fingers found the right place. Yet the feeling he could usually evoke so effortlessly continued to elude her. She closed her eyes and tried to focus, but to no avail. Finally, he stopped.

"Am I doing something wrong?"

"No", she said, frustrated. "It's just not happening, I don't know why."

He smiled. "Well, then we'll have to try something else, won't we? I can let this pass once, but not two nights in a row."

He pulled back from her and rolled her onto her back. She smiled in delight as he moved down to lie between her legs, humming with contentment as he pressed his mouth to her. Taking a deep breath, she relaxed and gave herself over to his expert caresses. His tongue soon found the right spot, and as he focused on it, she soon felt the elusive tension inside her begin to build at last. She reached down a hand and made him shift over just a fraction of an inch, and she gasped as suddenly she was there, right at the edge, tensing, arching her back, her fingers in his hair, and then… it was gone again. She let out a sound of frustration, but he just chuckled and kissed her thigh.

"Don't put so much pressure on yourself. We have plenty of time, I can do this all night."

She smiled. "Well then, go on."

"Gladly", he murmured, and she threw her head back and moaned as he pressed his mouth to her again. The tension was back almost immediately, and she tilted her hips for an even better angle, his tongue stroking just the right spot, and when he entered her with two fingers and pressed upwards, she thought it would send her straight over the edge, but at the very last moment… it didn't. He noticed. He pulled back and was just about to ask her something, when she shot up with a gasp.

"I forgot to sign the permission slip for Paula's school trip tomorrow!"

He raised his eyebrows. "_That's _what you're thinking of right now?"

She shot him a guilty look. "Oh god, I'm sorry."

He sat up. "No, that's okay, but I think we're getting to the root of your problem here. You have too much on your mind."

She rubbed her face. "Yes, you're right, I do. There's just so much going on right now."

He nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"It's just a lot, you know? Paula being bullied, and mother having so many bad days lately, and the fundraiser, and trying to run the household in between all of that. Like yesterday, when the curry got burnt because I was helping Paula and then I had to go out to get dinner while I should have stayed with her to make sure she did her sums and…"

"Why didn't you come and get me?" he asked.

"What?"

"When the curry got burnt and you needed to stay with Paula. Why didn't you ask me to go out and get dinner?"

She stared at him. "It… honestly didn't occur to me."

"Raquel, you need to ask for help if you're under so much stress."

She got defensive. "You know, I shouldn't have to _ask_ you to help. You're not a child who has to be told what to do. You should _know_ what to do."

He nodded, perfectly calm. "Yes, you're right, I should. But I've never had a family before, and I don't. I'm sorry I haven't been pulling my weight, but you'll have to be patient with me for a while and ask me to do things until I know what needs to be done."

Suddenly she was crying again, and he moved up to take her into his arms.

"I'm sorry", she sobbed. "It's just… it's all been a bit much."

"I know", he said softly. "I'm sorry. I should have seen."

"And the only thing that I had to look forward to every day was making love to you and now I can't even do _that _right anymore."

He kissed her hair. "Don't worry about that now. I'm sure it'll come back once we figure out how to relieve some of the stress you've been feeling."

"But how are we going to do that?"

"Am I correct in assuming that you won't want to give up your fundraising activities?"

She shook her head. "No, I can't do that. I need my work, I need to feel useful."

"Then we'll have to unburden you in other aspects of your life."

"How?"

"First of all", he said, "I'm going to spend less time in my study and more time with you, so I can see when something needs to be done. And second of all, why don't we hire some people to help you out? I mean, we've got plenty of money…"

"What kind of people would you hire?"

"How about a cook, to make dinner? And a tutor to help Paula with her homework in the evenings. A second nurse who takes over when Anna has her days off."

She hesitated. "I don't know, Sergio… It would feel like I was falling short."

"Falling short how?"

"As a mother. As a daughter. As a wife."

Her eyes went big as she realized how she'd just referred to herself, but he didn't seem to have noticed.

"You're not falling short at any of those things just because you need a little help." He kissed her. "Now, let's forget about sex tonight and just go to sleep."

"But you didn't come either."

He grinned. "That seems only fair."

She laughed. "There's no sense in both of us being frustrated."

He pulled her down into the pillows and wrapped his arms around her. "I can go without for one night without getting frustrated. We'll look for some solutions tomorrow and then we can try again once you're feeling better."

She cuddled up close to him. "Thank you for understanding."

He kissed her hair. "Of course."

…

When Raquel got home from taking Paula to school the next morning, Sergio was waiting for her with a smile.

"I found us a housekeeper, if you agree with hiring her."

"Really? What would she do?"

"She'd come here every weekday and take care of the household. She does everything from cleaning to laundry to cooking. It would take much of the burden off of you."

She hesitated. "It still feels like I should be able to take care of those things myself."

"Raquel", he said softly. "You take care of a child, a mother with Alzheimer's, and the running of a household, while doing the equivalent of a fulltime job on those fundraisers. That's too much."

"There are women around the world who do the same things every day, and they seem to manage."

"But do you think they're happy?"

She frowned. "Maybe not."

He shook his head. "Just because there are other women suffering from stress doesn't mean you have to, in some kind of weird solidarity."

"It just doesn't feel fair."

"A lot of things aren't fair. There are people going hungry all over the world. Does that mean that you shouldn't eat?"

"Well… if you put it like that."

"We're privileged, Raquel. Very privileged. It's good to be aware of that privilege and try to give something back, like you're doing with those fundraisers. But we have the right to use our money to ensure that you're happy. Your unhappiness doesn't help anyone."

She sighed. "Objectively, I know that you're right. I think I just need some time to convince myself of that."

"Let's meet with the prospective housekeeper in the meantime, anyway."

"Yes, I suppose we should."

"Do you want me to look for a tutor, too, to help Paula with her homework?"

She shook her head. "No, I would prefer to do that myself for now. If I don't have to do the cooking, I would prefer to spend that extra time with my daughter."

He nodded. "Then let's tackle the next issue."

She smiled. "Do you have a list of things to check off to make my life easier?"

He gave her a serious look. "You presented me with a problem. I'm trying to solve that problem."

"And doing it very thoroughly, too", she said, giving him a grateful kiss. "So what's next?"

"Paula's issues with Janet. Will you call Janet's mother again?"

Raquel groaned. "Yes, I suppose I should."

"Was it a difficult conversation last time?"

"To say the least. She's a horrible woman. Her husband's an American diplomat and they're very rich. I don't think she's done a day's work in her entire life, and she refused to believe me when I told her that her daughter was bullying Paula. I'm not sure I'll have more luck convincing her this time."

He hesitated, then steeled himself. "Do you want me to call her instead?"

She gave him a soft look. "You would hate that."

"I would, but I'd do it. I might be more successful at convincing Janet's mother."

She raised an eyebrow, amused. "Sergio, I'm a trained negotiator. I think I can handle one difficult parent."

He grinned at her. "If I remember correctly, I got the better of you several times when you were negotiating with _me_."

She snorted. "Aren't we cocky. I caught you in the end, though."

He drew himself up with dignity. "That was because of my emotional weakness for you, not because of my lack of negotiating skills."

"Fine, fine", she grinned. "You're the best. But Paula is my daughter, and this is my battle to fight."

He nodded, and Raquel took out her phone and dialed.

"Mrs. Johnson? This is Paula's mother… yes, again. No, I'm afraid I'm calling for the same reason. Your daughter and my daughter simply don't seem to get along."

There was a long pause, during which Raquel started looking more and more annoyed, until suddenly her expression cleared.

"Really? Well, then I suppose the problem will solve itself. Yes, goodbye."

She hung up and turned to Sergio with an expression of relief.

"Apparently, the Johnsons are moving back to the US in three months."

Sergio nodded. "That's good. But three months is still a long time for Paula to be bullied. Should we take her out of school until Janet is gone?"

"Why don't we let Paula decide that?"

When Paula was consulted after school, she looked relieved, too, and decided that she would rather stay in school. "If I stay home for three months, I'll miss my friends. Besides, everyone would think that I'm scared of Janet, and I'm not."

Raquel kissed her daughter. "I'm proud of you, sweetheart."

…

That night, Raquel fell back into the pillows with a groan of frustration.

"Why won't it _work_?"

Sergio put a soothing hand on her shoulder. "You're not a machine, Raquel, give it some time."

"But we've identified the issues bothering me, and we've solved them."

"We've only found future solutions. Right now, nothing has changed yet."

"But I feel better already!"

"I'm glad to hear it, but your body may need some time to catch up."

She rubbed her face. "Oh, this can't be happening to me again."

He raised his eyebrows. "You've had this problem before? Of being unable to orgasm?"

"Yes", she admitted reluctantly. "A few months after Paula was born. The stress of my job combined with the stress of a crying baby got to me. I was so afraid of not being a good mother."

"How long did your… issue last then?"

She gave him a pained look. "Almost a year."

He went a little pale. "You mean… you didn't come for a _year_?"

She nodded sadly. "That's how long it took before I started feeling comfortable with the combination of my work and my daughter."

"How did your husband react to that?"

She rolled her eyes. "At first he got annoyed and then he just stopped trying."

"You still had sex though?"

"Oh, yes, we never stopped having sex, but I was mostly doing it for him. I didn't get much pleasure out of it during that year."

"Well", Sergio said determinedly, "It won't last that long this time. We'll get things sorted out for you soon, and then everything will go back to normal. You'll see."

"I hope so", she said uncertainly.

He lay down next to her and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, before wrapping her up in his arms.

"Of course it will", he said.

_To be continued…_


	3. Relaxation

Over the next two weeks, they started implementing changes: the housekeeper was interviewed and, after some debate, accepted into the family. Raquel's fundraiser, to her relief, was a big success, and she decided to take a break before accepting a new project. Life with Marivi and Paula was still challenging at times, but Raquel felt like she was getting a grip on things again for the first time in weeks. Their problem in the bedroom didn't go away, however, even though they tried everything – every position, every technique. For three days, they stopped having sex at all, to give Raquel a chance to relax, but even that didn't help. When they finally made love again, they were both so eager, but after he had brought her to the point of orgasm three times without any result, she pushed him away, her eyes brimming with tears of frustration.

"I'm sorry Sergio, I can't do it, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay", he said soothingly. "You don't have to apologize to me, it's _you _this is hardest on."

"You're so patient with me", she said, stroking his hand. "But every time I think I'm close I just lose my grasp on it at the last second."

"You're putting too much pressure on yourself", he said. "You worry so much about not being able to orgasm, that's actually what's stopping you at this point."

"I'm sure you're right", she said, frustrated, "but how the hell do I get out of that cycle?"

"You just need to relax."

"Funnily enough, you telling me to relax doesn't actually make me relax", she snapped, then immediately regretted it.

He gave her a helpless look. He usually had a solution to everything, but this defeated him. "I don't know what else we can try, Raquel. I think the only option now is to stop focusing on it. Every time we try to get you to come now, the pressure only increases. We'll just have to see if it happens naturally at some point."

"So we should just stop trying?" she said bitterly.

"I think trying too hard is counter-productive at this point", he said gently. "Once you're no longer focused on orgasming, I'm sure it will come back."

"But how could I possibly stop focusing on it?"

He hesitated. "By trying to relax."

She sighed. "We're talking in circles."

He shook his head sadly. "I know."

She let herself fall down onto the mattress and pulled a pillow over her face. "Oh, I hate this!"

He nodded. "I know."

…

Two weeks and zero orgasms later, Raquel was in a state of constant irritation. She got annoyed at everything – at the housekeeper, at Paula's homework, at her mother, even at Sergio's sympathy and patience. But most of all, she was annoyed at herself. Somehow, the issue bothered her much more now than when it had first happened when Paula was a baby. Back then, she'd accepted it as a part of new motherhood, but now she felt like she had no excuse. Sergio had done, and was still doing, everything in his power to make her life easier, and she felt like she couldn't repay him. Sex had become such a frustrating experience for both of them that they eventually stopped having it, and she missed it terribly.

She felt tense all of the time now. Even though some of the practical difficulties of her life had eased thanks to the housekeeper, Paula was still having trouble with Janet, and their nurse Anna fell ill for a week, which meant that Raquel had to take over, feeling terribly unequipped to handle her mother on increasingly bad days. The worst of it was that she couldn't even make love with Sergio to take her mind off of things. She felt like she was failing everywhere – failing for needing a housekeeper, failing to protect her daughter, failing to properly care for her mother, failing to be a good girlfriend to the man she loved, who, frankly, didn't deserve this. She tried to make herself feel useful again by taking on another fundraiser project, but then she started having trouble falling asleep at night because she had so much on her mind.

Then, one Monday morning, Sergio took her outside after she had dropped Paula off at school, and sat her down on the porch steps.

"Raquel", he said. "We're going away tomorrow."

"What?" she said. "Where?"

"To a nice little place I know."

"But Paula has school, and you know my mother can't travel anymore."

"They're not coming with us."

"Oh. Will we be back in time for dinner?"

"No. We'll be staying there for a week."

"A week?!" she protested. "But…"

He held up his hand. "Everything is taken care of. Paula is staying at the house of her best friend and I found a second nurse who will stay with Anna all week to help with your mother."

"Wait, you know who Paula's best friend is?"

"Of course, Marisol. You think I arranged this on my own? Paula was entirely on board."

"You called Marisol's parents?"

"I did. They said they would love to have Paula over for the week."

"What about my mother?"

"I talked to her two days ago when she was having such a good afternoon. Frankly", he smiled, "she couldn't get us out of the house fast enough. Practically begged me to take you somewhere."

"But the fundraiser…"

"Also taken care of. I went to the organization and explained the situation. They've found another volunteer to take over for you during the next week. They assured me everything is under control."

"But…"

He gave her a stern look. "No excuses, Raquel, we're doing this."

"But why?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you really need to ask? Because you need to get away from things for a bit."

"I don't… I'm fine…" she tried, but he wasn't buying it.

"You're really not."

"But…" she said weakly, "I can't just drop everything and take a holiday."

"Why not?"

"I… because…" She faltered. "Okay, I can't really think of a reason."

He smiled. "You'll see: a week of rest and relaxation will make you feel like a whole new person."

…

That night, Raquel packed a bag for Paula and drove her over to Marisol's house. The guilt she was feeling for leaving her daughter was thankfully mitigated by the fact that Paula was really looking forward to spending the week with her best friend. Apparently, Raquel learned, Marisol had a dog, a pool _and _ a little sister, and Paula kept chattering away about these delights for the entire trip over there. Marisol's parents invited Raquel in for a drink, and they couldn't be more gracious about having Paula over for the week. Raquel left feeling reassured that her daughter would be well taken care of.

The new nurse came over, a cheerful young woman everyone liked immediately. Raquel was happy to see that both Marivi and Anna took to her at once, and the three women were soon chatting amicably on the porch. When she and Sergio left the next morning, Raquel couldn't be more satisfied that her family would be well taken care of.

She expected them to leave on the bike, but around midmorning, a neat little sailboat drew up on the beach in front of their house.

"That's our ride", Sergio said, picking up their bags. "Let's go."

"We're taking a boat?" she asked, suddenly curious. "Where are we going, exactly?"

He smiled. "It's a surprise."

They had to take off their shoes and wade through the water before they could climb on board, where they were welcomed by two lively young sailors and a smiling captain. The sailors jumped out and pushed the boat back into the water until it was afloat again, then scrambled to get back on board. A stiff breeze caught the sails, and soon they were speeding away from the beach and off to the open sea. Raquel watched their house dwindle in the distance and felt like she was leaving her worries behind, too. She firmly turned around and went to sit on the deck at the bow of the ship, her legs dangling over the side, her eyes fixed on the horizon.

Sergio came to sit beside her, keeping a respectful distance from the railing, and together they enjoyed the shifting, ever-changing blues and greens of the water rushing past below them. The sea was so clear that they could see all the way to the bottom, and they were continually pointing things out to each other: fantastical formations of coral, schools of colorful fish darting to and fro, and eerily beautiful purple jellyfish dotting the waves. Sergio took note of her shining eyes and privately decided to make sure that she could get out onto the water more often.

After an hour or two of sailing, the coastline of Palawan only just visible in the distance, they came to a small island, set like an emerald jewel in the bluest water Raquel had ever seen. The ship had to stop a fair distance from the beach because the sea was so shallow, and a small motorboat came to pick them up. As they approached the island, Raquel's eyes went wide with wonder.

"Sergio", she said softly, taking his hand, "have you ever seen a more perfect place?"

The beach they landed on sloped gently into the crystal-clear water of the sea, the sand a lovely golden color and soft as powder under their feet. Lush green palm trees framed the beach, and hidden among them was a charming little wooden house, the roof thatched with palm leaves. As they came closer, their bags carried by a smiling Filipino boy, the seemingly simple house revealed a subtle luxury: everything made from natural materials but exquisitely crafted, and at all sides open to the fresh sea air. The bed was set right on the sand, a four-poster with see-through white curtains fluttering in the breeze, and the bathroom was open as well, with a shower of rough natural stone.

Raquel hesitated. "This is a really nice house, but it doesn't give us much privacy."

"That's okay", Sergio said. "Nobody else lives here."

She turned to him with a broad smile. "You mean you've brought me to a deserted island?"

"Yes", he smiled back. "And the people who brought us here will be leaving soon. It will be just the two of us."

"Like our first weeks together", she said softly, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.

They unpacked, then started exploring the house. The open set-up, while lovely, meant that sand got tracked in everywhere, and while Sergio complained about that, Raquel felt that it only added to the rustic atmosphere. There was plenty of food in the kitchen, with several dishes ready-made in the refrigerator, in addition to lots of fresh fruit. Then Raquel put on her bathing suit and went outside, diving straight into the blue, clear water. As she swam along with strong, clean strokes, she suddenly realized that it was weeks since she had last gone swimming, and she mused about how easy it had been to get used to living by the beach and not taking advantage of it anymore. She let herself drift on her back for a long time, eyes closed, surrendering herself to the gentle movements of the waves, relaxing her muscles in the warmth of the water.

When she finally flipped back onto her stomach and started swimming back to shore, she saw Sergio standing at the edge of the water, his hands in his pockets, his pants rolled up to his knees, observing her with a smile. She swam up to him.

"Come in! The water is amazing."

"I'm sure it is", he said.

"Really!"

"I believe you."

She splashed some water at him.

"Hey! Stop that!"

She grinned and did it again, and he hastily retreated with a suppressed smile.

"Seriously, how old are you?"

She laughed. "Come back, I won't do it again!"

He kept a safe distance. "Yeah, right."

She gave him her most innocent look. "I promise."

He carefully came closer again, wading a little way into the sea.

"You're right, the water really is nice."

She let herself float with a blissful smile. "I don't think I'm ever coming out again."

He waded a little closer to her. "Looks like you're already feeling a bit better?"

"I am", she said. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"You're welcome", he said, then bent down to kiss her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down into the water with a splash. He came up spluttering, then burst out laughing, pulling her close and kissing her.

"Okay", he pretended to grumble. "I'm in the water. Are you happy now?"

"Yes", she grinned, wiping back his streaming hair.

They kept kissing for several long moments, then they started back up the beach, his clothes streaming water. He went into the open bathroom and turned on the shower, stepping under it clothes and all to wash out the salt. Meanwhile, she wrapped herself in a towel and settled herself in a big hammock that was strung up between two palm trees. She lay there, peacefully swinging side to side, looking up dreamily at the fluffy white shapes of the clouds visible between the green leaves. Suddenly, she jumped as a coconut fell off one of the trees and thudded loudly into the sand beside her. Sergio came along just in time to see it fall.

"That almost hit you!" he said, alarmed.

She sat up, grinning. "But it didn't, and now we have a fresh coconut. Can you open it?"

"I think so", he said, taking it into the kitchen and coming back a few minutes later with the top cut off.

They sat side by side in the hammock, sideways, and took turns drinking the sweet juice. Then they lay down, squished tightly together, and he wrapped his arm around her and she fell asleep with her head on his chest. The hammock rocked gently in the wind as she slept, and he didn't wake her even when his arm started getting numb.

…

After dinner, they took a long walk along the beach as the sun set, only turning back when it was dark, their way illuminated by the light of the near-full moon. They got ready for bed, and Raquel hummed appreciatively as she got in between the softest sheets she had ever felt. After a moment, however, she noticed that Sergio was standing by the side of the bed, hesitating.

"What's wrong?"

"This is just a terrible set-up, Raquel."

She frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Who puts a _bed _right on the _beach_? The sand is bound to get everywhere!"

She laughed. "Just brush the sand off your feet before you get in. That's what I did."

"But what if you didn't get it _all _off?"

She threw him an amused look. "A few grains of sand won't kill you, Sergio."

"I still don't like it", he grumbled, then pushed aside the thin white curtains to sit on the edge of the bed. He brushed the sand off of his feet meticulously before getting in between the sheets and closing the curtains against the mosquitoes, which were out in full force tonight.

She suddenly sat up, her eyes bright in the moonlight. "You know, there's nobody around. We don't have to wear our pajamas if we don't want to."

He smiled. "You're right. I would love to sleep skin to skin with you this week."

She pulled her top over her head and wriggled out of her pants, then threw them off the bed into the sand, while he methodically undid his buttons, folded his pajamas, and placed them at the foot of the bed. Then they lay down together, smiling, and she turned onto her side so he could lie close behind her and hold her tight. They both enjoyed the feeling of direct contact as they pressed their bodies together, nothing separating them at all. Then he started stroking her stomach, and she tensed. It had been such a lovely, relaxing day, she didn't want to end it in frustration. Her reaction wasn't lost on him.

"Don't worry", he said gently, "we're not going to have sex tonight."

"We're not?" she asked, torn between relief and disappointment.

"No. This week is all about helping you relax, we won't do anything that might cause you stress. So we won't have sex today, or tomorrow, or maybe even all week."

"But it seems like such a waste of such a romantic setting. Not to mention the privacy."

"If it helps you feel like yourself again, it's not a waste at all. We don't have to have sex to enjoy ourselves and each other."

"You're right", she said, then turned to face him. "But really, Sergio, what are we going to do about this?"

He hesitated. "Do we have to _do _anything? Isn't it just a question of patience and taking away underlying causes?"

"I don't know", she said, frowning. "But we've stopped making love and I miss it so much."

He sighed. "I miss it too, but it was making you miserable."

"But I can't bear to live without it, either. What are we going to do?"

He was silent for a while, considering. Then he said: "I think we need to reconceptualize."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

He gave her a thoughtful look. "I think we need to change the way we think about sex. More specifically, we need to change the way _you _think about sex. You've been treating it as a race to a finish line, where you fail if you can't reach that finish. But that's not what it's about. At least, it isn't for me."

She propped herself up on her elbow to look at him, curious. "What is it about for you, then?"

"Connection", he said.

She nodded encouragingly, and he continued, at first struggling to put his thoughts into words, but then speaking more freely than he ever had before.

"In the first place", he said, "connection to myself. You know I've never been really comfortable with my own body. I'm still not, most of the time. I've always felt disconnected from it, like it was not really a part of myself. But when I make love to you, for the first time in my life, I feel the separation between my mind and my body disappear. I feel physically present in the world. My body stops being a burden and something that causes me discomfort, and becomes instead a way to experience all of these amazing sensations that I never thought I'd be able to access."

He turned to face her. "But more importantly, sex is a way to connect to _you_. You've been having sex for most of your life, so you take it for granted, but I haven't and I don't. It still feels special to me, every time. As someone who doesn't usually like to be touched, I feel so privileged that you allow me to touch you. I know it's not a big deal to you, but it is to me. The way you surrender to me. The way you open up to me. That you trust me enough to allow me to be so close to you. All of that is so precious to me."

Something shifted in her mind as she started to see the things which had always seemed so normal to her from his point of view. She suddenly realized something.

"I'm sorry", she said, putting a hand on his chest. "The first times we had sex… I never asked you if I could touch you, I never asked if you were comfortable."

He smiled. "That's okay, you couldn't have known how unusual and intense that experience was for me. And anyway, I don't know why, but I've never minded you touching me. It has always felt right, from the moment you first touched my hand in Hanoi."

She smiled at the memory.

He continued: "But what I'm trying to say here, is that maybe your view of sex is too narrow. Making love, to me, starts long before there are any genitals involved. It starts even before we're in the bedroom. Every touch, every kiss, hell, every look you give me is part of it for me. So while orgasms are nice – and they _are _very nice, don't get me wrong – they're _such _a small part of a bigger whole. I could make love to you in hundreds of ways that don't involve an orgasm at all."

She stroked his chest as she listened, a tender smile on her face as he continued:

"So why don't we spend this week redefining what sex means to us? I don't think we have to stop making love, I think we just need a different approach, where orgasms are a wonderful side-effect, but not the main reason why we're doing it?"

He looked at her. "What do you think?"

She nodded. "You're so right. I've been much too focused on the one thing, I've forgotten that sex is about so much more than that." She gave him a soft look. "I'd love for you to help me experience this from your point of view. It sounds much lovelier than mine."

He smiled. "I can try."

He sat up and looked at her. "Lie down, please."

She did as he asked, lying back into the pillows, curious as to how he would approach this. He took the sheet that covered her and drew it back slowly, exposing her skin bit by bit to the warm air of the night. There were no artificial lights, but the moon was bright enough for them to see each other clearly, and she shivered as she felt his eyes on her, understanding what he meant when he had said that even looks were part of the love-making process for him. She had been naked with him so many times before, but it felt different now that he wasn't touching her, just observing her quietly with that intensity he had, and she felt vulnerable in the best way as his eyes roved over her body. Her skin shone silvery in the moonlight, and his gaze was soft as he looked into her eyes.

"You are so incredibly lovely", he said in a low voice. "I can hardly believe my luck that I'm allowed to look at you, that you show yourself to me so freely."

She smiled a little. "It's just a naked body, Sergio, it's completely natural, it's not a big deal."

His eyes were serious. "But it is to me. My clothes are my armor against the world. I never used to be naked except to shower, and the idea of taking my clothes off in front of another person made me deeply uncomfortable. Being naked, to me, means being vulnerable, showing yourself as you really are. That takes courage. I know it doesn't hold the same significance for you, but for me, just seeing you without clothes is a deeply intimate experience."

She looked at him wonderingly. "I never realized it meant so much to you."

He smiled. "It does. The first few times we made love, I hardly dared to look at you. It felt like I was intruding upon something private. But now I love it. Turn around."

She did as he asked, stretching out on her stomach, turning her head so she could see him looking at her, his eyes following the soft lines and curves of her body. He was allowing her access to his world, a glimpse of the way he experienced life, and she felt grateful and honored that he was sharing this with her, that he was speaking so openly. He was baring his soul and he didn't do that easily. She stayed quiet and let him talk.

"For me, making love begins right here. In the curve of your shoulder, the slope of your back, the graceful lines of your legs. I could never get enough of looking at you."

He stretched out a hand. "But I can never get enough of touching you, either."

She shivered as his fingers brushed lightly over her skin, slowly, slowly following the line of her spine downwards.

"Humans are designed to need to touch each other, but I never realized I needed it until I met you. Now I want to touch you constantly, feel your skin against mine, run my hands over your body. You touch me so casually, you don't realize how acutely aware I am of every brush of your skin against mine."

She wondered if she could say something without breaking the spell his words were weaving. He noticed her hesitation.

"You can ask me", he said.

"Is it still that way for you?" she asked. "After all of these months, not just at the beginning?"

"I'm getting more used to it now", he admitted. "And I'm sure I'll get even more used to it in the future. But it's never stopped being meaningful to me. You reach out and put your hand on my arm without thinking, and suddenly my world narrows to your touch and it is all I can think about."

His touch was all she could think about, too, as his fingers moved slowly, tenderly, over the skin of her back, making her tingle all over. She focused exclusively on the sensation, shiver after shiver running down her spine as he stroked her. She'd never been so aware of him. She'd never been so aware of herself.

"I think I can feel it", she whispered, and he smiled.

"Good. Turn around."

She did so, and he let his fingers brush past her collarbone, over her chest, down her stomach. He was barely touching her, yet it was one of the most sensual things she'd ever experienced. Even though he wasn't coming near any of her most sensitive spots, she couldn't describe the sensation in any other way than that he was making love to her.

"You're so soft", he whispered. "In a world full of hard edges, you're always soft."

He trailed his fingers over her shoulder, down her arm, then interlaced them with hers for a moment. She squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back, while they smiled at each other. Then he gently disengaged again and moved his hand down to her thigh, where he started tracing his fingers down her legs. For a long, long time, he just kept caressing her all over, not missing an inch, exploring every part of her body as though he'd never seen it before. She closed her eyes and surrendered to the sensations as her skin came alive under his hands, her entire body humming with his touch. When he finally stopped and took her in his arms, she cuddled close against him, feeling loved and cherished and curiously satisfied.

…

They spent the next few days swimming, reading and taking naps in the hammock, and she felt like her worries were very far away, feeling more relaxed each day. Their nights were spent making love, Sergio always taking the lead, helping her to find different ways they could connect to each other, and she discovered to her surprise that she wasn't enjoying herself any less despite the lack of orgasms.

The second night they spent kissing. He started off by gently pushing her back into the pillows, then propping himself up on an elbow and just brushing his lips against hers. She opened her mouth, but he kept teasing her for a long time, just dipping in and out, lightly flicking his tongue over her lips. When he finally engaged fully, it was with a slow, unhurried kiss that they sank into completely, her hands in his hair, his hand on her waist. He refused to touch her anywhere else all evening – they just kept kissing for hours, like they had done during their first weeks together, tasting, exploring, sometimes tenderly and sometimes passionately. His kisses turned her on, but she felt no need to take things further, focusing entirely on his mouth on hers, enjoying the sensations he was evoking for their own sake, instead of merely seeing them as the beginning to something more important.

The third night he extended his kisses to the rest of her body. He started by taking her face between his hands and just pressing soft kisses to her forehead, her nose, her closed eyelids, her cheeks. Then he brushed his lips along the line of her jaw, and when she tilted her head, smiling, he spent a long time kissing her neck and throat. She enjoyed it even more than she usually did, entirely present in the moment, ignoring the tingle between her legs to immerse herself completely in the feeling of his mouth against her skin. After a while, he moved further down, trailing kisses over her shoulder and down her arm, brushing his lips against the delicate skin of the crook of her elbow and her wrist. He pressed kisses against the palm of her hand and each of her fingertips, then followed the lines of her arm back upwards and did the same thing on the other side. Finally he moved on to her chest, and her nipples hardened in anticipation as his mouth came nearer. She wasn't sure if he would pay them any attention, but he seemed unable to resist the temptation. He took his time kissing all around one nipple, then brushing it so lightly with his lips that the feeling barely registered, yet it was enough to make her long for more. Then he flicked his tongue over it, and she sighed out a soft 'oh!'.

"What does that feel like?" he asked her.

She hesitated. "I don't know. I've never really thought about it that much."

"Why don't you take some time now and really feel it."

"Alright", she smiled. "Do it again."

He brushed his tongue against the very tip, and she shivered.

"It feels amazing."

"Describe it to me."

"It's so sensitive. When you touch it, the feeling goes right through me and I feel it all the way between my legs."

"How about this?" he asked, then closed his mouth over her nipple and sucked.

She gasped. "Oh, that feels so good."

He released her for a moment. "Good how?"

She had trouble speaking as he resumed. "It's… it's a pulling sensation, and it goes so deep. I'm sure it's making me wet."

"Good", he murmured, then moved to her other nipple.

She twined her fingers into his hair and sighed with delight as he spent several minutes alternately licking and sucking, giving her time to really enjoy the sensations. Then he moved down, covering her stomach with kisses. She was a little breathless as he kissed the curls between her legs, unsure of what he was going to do, unsure of what she herself wanted him to do.

He looked up. "Raquel, I really want to taste you, but I don't want to cause you any stress. How about I go down on you, but I don't try to make you come?"

She hesitated. "Then what's the point?"

He gave her a soft look. "That's what I've been trying to get you to see for the past few days. There's so much we can enjoy about each other even when we don't come. When I go down on you, do you only experience pleasure at the point of orgasm?"

"No", she said, smiling, "of course not."

"Then why do you think the activity only has a point if you climax? In fact, why does it have to have a point at all? Tonight, try and see if you can enjoy what I'm doing without any expectations, let it be just… pleasure for pleasure's sake."

"Alright", she said softly, opening her legs so he could lie between them. "But you really won't try to make me come?"

"No", he promised. "There's no pressure at all."

She sighed and stretched luxuriously on the bed. "Then go right ahead."

He didn't engage straight away, however. At first, he only kissed the inside of her thighs, inching closer ever so slowly. It was something he usually did, but this was the first time that she didn't feel any impatience for him to hurry up and get there already – instead, she took a deep breath and decided to really experience the feelings, noticing the warmth of his mouth, the way the hairs of his beard tickled her sensitive skin. When he finally reached her, he started with the softest licks, and she sighed softly with delight, opening her legs a little further. Then he started exploring her in earnest, pressing his mouth to her and letting his tongue run everywhere, dipping in and out of her, stroking up and down. She moaned and wondered how she'd never _really _noticed how good it felt. Why had the build-up to an orgasm only ever been the thing she really focused on, when his mouth was so warm and soft against her and the movements of his tongue were eliciting such delicious sensations? He moved up towards her most sensitive spot, and she tilted her head back and moaned again. He spent a long time there, licking, circling, sucking, but never settling down to a steady rhythm, signaling to her that he was keeping his promise and not trying to make her come. Instead of tensing, she felt herself relax more and more, letting the sensations wash over her, the only thing in the world that mattered right now.

…

The next night, however, she wanted more.

"Sergio", she said, as they got into bed after another quiet day of reading, swimming and hour-long kissing sessions, "I want you. The past few nights have been indescribably lovely, but basically we've been having three full days of foreplay now and I need you inside of me so badly it hurts."

He hesitated. "Are you sure you won't feel pressured to orgasm?"

She shook her head, stroking his chest. "We can do it just like we did yesterday, for the sheer pleasure of it." She kissed him, then whispered: "Please. I so desperately want to feel close to you."

He gave her a longing look and took her into his arms. "God, I would love that too. But no expectations, agreed?"

She nodded eagerly, already reaching down , and he closed his eyes with a sigh as she wrapped her fingers around him, stroking him until he was hard. Then he gently brushed her hand away and pushed her onto her back so he could kiss her deeply, and she caressed the back of his neck as she pushed her hips against him. He refused to be rushed, taking his time to get her properly warmed up, and she struggled against her usual impatience, taking deep breaths and firmly staying in the moment, focusing on his hands and mouth rather than the ache between her legs. Finally he dipped a hand between her thighs, checking to see if she was ready, and he smiled in satisfaction at how wet she was. He slipped one, then two fingers inside her, and she arched her back and moaned as he pressed upwards. Then he withdrew and sat himself on the edge of the bed.

"Come here", he said softly, holding out a hand, and she straddled him on her knees. Before she could sink down on him, however, he pulled her close and looked into her eyes.

"Take a moment to appreciate this", he said earnestly. "I know for you it's the most natural thing in the world, but for me it's incredibly meaningful. To be so close to another person… I never thought I wanted that, I never knew how beautiful it could be. Being inside of you, with your arms around me and your mouth on mine, that is the most intense and wonderful thing I've ever experienced, and I hope I'll never take it for granted."

She stroked his cheek with tender fingers. "You're right, I do take it for granted, and I shouldn't."

He smiled. "I'm not saying we should make a big deal out of it every time we have sex, but it's not a bad thing to consider every once in a while how precious these experiences are, and how lucky we are to have found someone we can share them with."

She kissed him, and he returned her kiss with enthusiasm, one hand in her hair, the other sliding up her back, making her shiver. She lifted her hips and reached down a hand to guide him in. He pulled her body close to his and whispered in her ear:

"Try to really feel it, like I do."

She closed her eyes and turned inward, reveling in the sensation of having him inside her, filling her up slowly as she sank down on him. She tried to capture the feeling, deep and present and satisfying, and then she started moving and the world fell away completely as she moaned softly with the bliss of it. They soon found a rhythm, completely wrapped up in each other, and she realized that it was enough, that she didn't need anything more than this for now. But when he leaned back a little and moved a hand between them, she didn't complain.

"I'm going to touch you now", he whispered. "Not to make you come, only to increase your pleasure. Would you like that?"

She nodded, slightly out of breath. "Yes."

He pressed his thumb against her and started drawing tight circles, and she leaned her head against his shoulder as the sensation of it almost overwhelmed her. As he kept moving inside her, she soon felt a familiar pressure begin to build, and for a moment she panicked, tensing, both wanting to capture the feeling and afraid that it would elude her as it had so often. Then his hand was stroking her back and his voice was in her ear, distracting her.

"Stay with me", he murmured, withdrawing his thumb for a moment. "Tell me how I feel inside of you."

She took a breath and redirected her attention. "Amazing."

"Good", he breathed, then reapplied his thumb, and the pressure inside her was back instantly.

"Sergio", she gasped, and he immediately spoke to her again, in a low, soothing tone.

"Relax. We said we weren't going to make you come tonight, right?"

"Right", she said, feeling some of the tension leave her.

"Does it still feel good?"

"Yes", she whispered. "So good."

"Then that's all that matters. Just feel it out."

She closed her eyes and surrendered herself to pure feeling, not thinking about it, just experiencing, accepting whatever would happen – or not happen. A first slow tingle was starting up in her very core, and she tried not to pay it too much attention.

"Keep talking", she whispered to him, and he obliged.

"Raquel", he murmured. "You feel so amazing around me. So warm and soft."

She felt herself get closer and closer, and focused most of her attention on his voice as he kept talking, letting her body feel its own way forward, trusting that it knew what to do. When he shifted his thumb and was suddenly stroking the _exact _right spot, she didn't try to grasp at the feeling. She simply held on to him and let go.

The feeling that rushed over her took her breath away – she gasped, then cried out loudly as it shook her, a fiery tingling radiating from the center of her to every part of her body, glorious and powerful and all-consuming, making her tremble in his arms and cry out again and again as wave after wave of pleasure rolled over her. He bucked his hips to take her deeper, and the sensation just kept going, so intense that she barely noticed it when he tensed and cried out, too. Finally, gradually, it receded, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, buried her face against his shoulder and cried.

He held her, rocking her gently, stroking her hair.

"It's alright", he murmured over and over again. "It's alright."

…

The rest of the week passed in a haze of sunshine and sex. That first orgasm and the subsequent relief seemed to have opened the floodgates, and he barely had to touch her to keep her coming and coming. She couldn't keep her hands off of him, to the point where he complained loudly that she was exhausting him, but she knew him well enough to see how pleased he was, and he never refused her when she came to him yet again with an expression of longing on her face and eager hands. They made love at sunrise and sunset, he took her up against the wall of the shower and on the kitchen table, and when he simply couldn't perform anymore, he went down on her again and again for the sheer pleasure of hearing her moan.

They found out just how hard it was to make love in a hammock, because of the lack of resistance, but they gave it a damn good try anyway. Later they got sand all over the bed when they came straight from the beach and were too eager to care about anything as they fell onto the mattress in a tangled heap. Afterwards, the expression of horror on his face was so comical that she laughed until her stomach hurt, then helped him strip off and shake out the sheets. They walked along the beach around the entire island, which took them much longer than it should have, because they kept stopping to lean against palm trees and kiss for minutes on end. They talked for hours, staying up half the night to look at the stars and napping during the day, lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves and the wind rustling through the leaves of the trees.

When the week was over and the sails of the boat that would return them to Palawan appeared on the horizon, Raquel felt a deep sense of serenity and happiness. She took Sergio's hand and squeezed it.

"This was an amazing week."

He smiled. "That's a spectacular understatement. Are you ready to go back home?"

"I am", she said, meaning it. "I feel like I can take on the world right now. Thank you for bringing me here."

He pulled her into his arms. "It was entirely my pleasure."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his. "Let's not wait too long to do this again."

His eyes were warm as he looked down at her. "Anytime."


	4. Martin

He read the letter attentively, then put it down, thoughtful.

"Who's it from?" Raquel asked.

They were lingering over breakfast out on the porch, Paula already excused from the table to go swimming, watched over by Marivi and her nurse.

"An old friend", he said.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You don't have any friends."

He laughed. "Well thank you for _that_. But you're right, he was actually a friend of my father's."

"And what does your father's friend want?"

He folded the letter. "He says he needs my help."

"With what?" she asked suspiciously.

"I don't know, the letter doesn't say."

"Can I assume that your friend doesn't operate strictly within the law?"

"Not… not strictly, no", he said carefully.

"Then whatever he's doing would be dangerous."

"It might be."

"Don't tell me you're thinking of doing something illegal again."

"I'm not", he reassured her quickly. "Really, I wouldn't."

"Then write him back and tell him you're not available."

He fiddled with his cup. "But I _am _available, Raquel. I've never been so available in my life."

She shot him a look of understanding. "You're bored."

"Out of my _mind_", he said. "Of course I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize our lives here, but I'd like to hear what he has to say, at least. I won't do anything illegal, but I might be able to… consult, so to speak."

"Alright", she sighed. "Call him."

"I can't, there's no sort of telephone service where he lives."

"Where does he live?"

"On a deserted island, a few days sailing from here. He's… uhm… rather paranoid. Has every right to be, of course, he's one of the most wanted people in the world."

"Then how are you going to ask him what he wants?"

"He says he's sending a boat to pick me up three days from now."

She raised her eyebrows. "That's very presumptuous of him."

"He's a presumptuous kind of man."

"Are you going to go?"

He gave her a look of longing, and she laughed. "Fine, fine, go on your little adventure. But no shenanigans, you hear me?"

He grinned. "What do you understand under 'shenanigans'?"

"You know", she smiled. "Drinking, gambling, partying."

"Yes", he said drily. "I _am _known for my partying."

She got up and came to sit on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Well then", she said, stroking his shoulders, "no pretty island girls with flowers in their hair."

"You're pretty and you live on an island", he pointed out. "Doesn't that, technically, make you a pretty island girl?"

"I suppose I am", she smiled.

He reached out a hand, picked a hibiscus flower off the bush growing next to the porch, and placed it in her hair.

"There", he said. "Perfect."

She leaned in to kiss him.

"Besides," he said, "you did hear me say _deserted _island, right? The guy lives there alone."

"That's very sad."

He looked at her, surprised. "Yes, I suppose it is."

"At least you can't get into too much mischief. How long will you be gone?"

"At least nine days", he said. "It takes four days to sail there, four to come back, and I'll spend a day there at the very least. The problem is that I can't let you know when I'll be back."

"Why not?"

"Like I said, there's not telephones out there, and there's no cell service in the middle of the ocean either."

"So I wouldn't be able to talk to you at all for nine days?" she said, dismayed.

"I'm afraid not."

"That's… not going to be easy."

"I know", he said softly. "But it will only be nine or ten days at the most. I won't stay longer than two days under any circumstances."

"I'll miss you", she whispered.

He pressed a soft kiss against her lips. "I'll miss you too."

…

She watched the boat dwindle in the distance and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach. _We survived two months apart_, she told herself. _We can survive ten short days_. But at least when she had been back in Spain, they had been able to call each other, often twice a day, and they had texted continually. It had always given her so much comfort to hear his voice, to talk about the details of her day, to check in with him. Not being able to even talk to him reminded her of the year she had spent without him before she found the postcards and came to Palawan. The thought of that year still made her stomach turn, the chaos of it right after the heist, then the gaping emptiness after she quit her job. She shuddered. That was over now, thankfully. She was here with him now, happier than she ever thought she'd be again, and if she had to spend ten days without him – well, that was easy enough to bear, knowing that he'd come back to her.

She kept herself very busy all week. Paula was on holiday from school, so she took the opportunity to spend as much time as possible with her daughter, spending hours snorkeling along the beach, building castles of sand and decorating them with sea shells. They watched movies together – how _sick and tired_ she was of Frozen! – making buttered popcorn by the bucket and singing along with the songs at the top of their voices. When Marivi was feeling well, they played games with her and her nurse, often late into the night, bedtime forgotten in all the laughter. All in all, time went by rather fast, but every evening at sunset, Raquel went out onto the beach alone, walked up to the edge of the waves and looked out over the water. He was out there somewhere. She closed her eyes and imagined his arms around her. Soon he'd be back and holding her again. Soon.

…

Time did _not _go by fast for Sergio. Life on board the ship was _mind-numbingly _boring, and soon he was regretting this entire trip. He'd brought books, of course, but there was only so much time a person could spend reading. All throughout the day, he kept reaching for a phone he hadn't brought, expecting a text from her. He'd never thought he'd miss her texts so much, with their terrible spelling and their complete lack of punctuation, but he'd pay anything to get one now. He'd pay even more to get a picture of her – he wouldn't say no to one in lingerie, but he'd be even happier with one where she was laughing, maybe with Paula – she and Paula always took the funniest selfies together. He loved those.

He spent a lot of time at the railing of the ship, just looking out at the monotone vista of the ocean, a deep, soothing blue wherever he looked. At sunset every evening, he turned to the horizon behind which his home was hidden and thought of her while the sun sank spectacularly into the waves, setting fire to the sky and the water alike.

When Martin's island finally came into view in the distance, he heaved a sigh of relief. He wasn't expecting comfortable conditions or good food or even a particularly warm welcome from Martin, but at least the boredom would be over. The boat had to stop a little way from the beach, so he rolled up his pants, jumped overboard, and waded the last few yards to shore, where his friend was waiting for him, barefoot, his grey hair unkempt.

"You alone?" Martin asked him immediately, addressing him in English, his New York accent extraordinarily out of place between the palm trees.

He didn't offer his hand or a hug, but Sergio wasn't expecting that anyway.

"Yes."

"You got anything on you that could be tracked?"

"No."

"Tell anyone where you were going?"

"Not specifically."

Martin nodded and turned his back to Sergio, walking to the house. Sergio followed him. Most people were turned off by Martin's lack of warmth or manners, but Sergio didn't care about those things. What he cared about was that Martin had been there for him at a crucial moment in his life, and that he was one of the most brilliant minds he'd ever had the pleasure of working with. If he needed help, it was bound to be with something fascinating. His friend lost no time when they got inside – didn't offer Sergio a chair or anything to drink, just got straight to the point, explaining his difficulties. He was planning a minor heist, nothing too special, but he was refusing to leave his island to do it, meaning that everything would have to be executed by a third party.

"Not me, Martin", Sergio said firmly. "I'm out of the game for good."

"You wouldn't have to actually be on the ground – I have people for that. I just need someone to direct the operation, someone with brains. People like that are hard to find."

Sergio shook his head. "You'll have to find someone else. I have a family now."

That got Martin's attention. "Really? You?"

Sergio couldn't help but smile. "Yes, me."

His friend snorted. "I never pegged you as the domestic type."

"Me neither, but life can surprise you. The right woman came along and… well, I never stood a chance."

"So you're entirely out of the game?"

"Entirely."

"Don't you miss it? The thrill of it, the chase?"

He hesitated. "Sometimes. But this life has its compensations."

"Like what?"

"I'm happy."

Martin gave him a blank look. "I wonder what that's like."

Then he turned and handed Sergio some papers. "While you're here anyway, could you take a look at these? I'd be grateful for an extra pair of eyes on my plans. They need to be watertight if I'm not there to adjust them in the moment."

The rest of the afternoon and evening were spent in discussion of the plans, and it was early in the morning before they went to bed – or rather, Martin went to bed, while Sergio was left to make himself comfortable on the moth-eaten couch. Despite the late hour, it took him a while to get to sleep. Not just because the couch was uncomfortable, but because he couldn't help thinking…

He'd been like Martin once. Not that long ago, even. Isolated, with a single-minded focus, living only for the challenge, the intellectual stimulation of planning, the thrill of outsmarting the police. Deeply, desperately lonely without even realizing it. How long had it been since Martin had even seen another human being, aside from the captain of the ship that came to bring him food and mail once a month? How long since he'd talked to someone for more than five minutes? How long since he'd last been hugged? Years, by Sergio's calculation. Years and years. Now, he shuddered to think of it, but it had been his own reality once. He'd thought nothing of isolation then, often not leaving his apartment for weeks on end, not thinking it strange that the only real human contact he had was during the few days a year that he saw his brother. As he turned on the couch, his thoughts went to Raquel, and he was filled with a deep, overwhelming sense of gratitude. Oh, if she hadn't found him…

He decided to spend another day with Martin, partly because he enjoyed finetuning the plans Martin had so meticulously constructed, but mostly out of an almost painful feeling of pity. When would his friend next get the chance of some human company? He was rather surprised at his own consideration – before he met Raquel, he knew, he wouldn't have thought about staying just to keep Martin company. When he left the next day, though, it was with an all-consuming feeling of relief – relief that he no longer had to live like this, relief that he had a life to return to that was so different from everything he'd ever known before. Relief that he could go back to _her_. The very thought that she was waiting for him made his heart beat faster.

On the way back on the boat, he couldn't stop thinking about her. She'd done so much for him… he owed her every ounce of his current happiness. It was easy to forget in the quiet routine of everyday life, but he felt it now – felt it with every fiber of his being – he was _damn fucking _lucky. Thoughts of seeing her again turned into thoughts of holding her, kissing her, making love to her. _Oh_, how he loved making love to her, another thing she'd brought into his life, with all its joys and intimacies and pleasures.

To pass the time, he started remembering the many memorable times they'd had sex – under waterfalls and on the beach, in the bathroom stall of a restaurant and in hotels at the side of the road when they were out on the bike. On the kitchen table and in the shower and over and over again in the bed until they broke it. He still chuckled whenever he thought of that. She was so incredible. He couldn't wait to get back to her and do it all over again – except, perhaps, the breaking of the bed. He wasn't sure how they would explain _that_ to the other people in the house. Soon, he was spending hours dreaming about her, with a yearning that was nearly unbearable. Why was this boat so slow?

It was almost midnight by the time the boat drew up at the beach in front of their house, and he eagerly got off and walked to the house. Everything was dark – everyone had gone to bed. He quietly opened the back door and went to their bedroom. He smiled as he saw her sleeping in the moonlight, hugging his pillow to her chest, Amber asleep next to her. He bent over her and tenderly kissed her forehead.

"I'm back", he whispered.

She stirred and opened sleepy eyes. "Hmm?"

"I'm back", he repeated. "And I'm very interested to see that Amber is here. I thought the cat wasn't allowed on the bed?"

"Special circumstances", she murmured, rubbing her eyes. "She missed you."

He smiled. "Did she now?"

"Yes, she did."

She suddenly seemed to wake up properly. "Hi."

His smile widened. "Hi."

She smiled back and her eyes started shining, then she reached out a hand to grab his shirt and pulled him onto the bed with her, making Amber jump off with an indignant 'miaow'. His head started buzzing with joy as she rolled him onto his back and kissed him and kissed him and kissed him, until he was breathless, until he laughingly begged for mercy. Her hands were all over him, removing his clothes with eager fingers.

"Why… are you wearing… so many clothes?" she grumbled between kisses, and he laughed.

"Don't you need some time to wake up first?"

"No", she said succinctly, unbuttoning his pants.

"It's the middle of the night, you were sleeping."

"And now I'm wide awake."

"So I see", he said, grinning in delight. She was so enthusiastic, he couldn't help teasing her a bit. "But maybe _I _want to sleep. Maybe I'm tired from the long trip."

She stopped dead and gave him a deeply offended look. "Excuse me?"

He pretended to yawn and stretched. "_Such _a long trip."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You had better be joking, mister."

He grinned at her. "Or what?"

"Or people are going to get hurt, and by 'people', I mean _you_."

He tutted. "Threats of violence aren't very attractive in a woman. That's not the way to get a man into bed."

She laughed. "Then tell me, good sir, what _is _the way to get a man into bed?"

"Well", he said thoughtfully. "Different things work for different men."

"Alright", she said. "I'll be more specific then: what do _I _need to do for you to want me?"

"Exist", he whispered, and she laughed in delight as he pulled her down into the pillows with him, then rolled on top of her to kiss her.

"_Oh_", she sighed against his lips. "I've been fantasizing about this moment all week."

He stopped and smiled, a gleam in his eyes. "You were?"

"Absolutely."

He bent his head close to her and rumbled: "And what were you doing when you were fantasizing about me?"

"That's none of your business", she said crisply.

He grinned. "Oh, but I would love to _make _it my business."

He reached down a hand and she opened her legs with a sigh so he could stroke her through her underwear.

"Tell me", he murmured in her ear, while she closed her eyes and her breathing quickened. "Tell me what you were doing."

"No", she whispered.

"Were you touching yourself?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Did you touch yourself…" He slipped a hand inside her underwear and she gasped. "… like this?"

"I'm not admitting to anything… _oh!_"

"Like this?" he repeated softly, drawing slow, teasing circles that were sure to drive her mad.

"Maybe…" she breathed.

"Maybe?"

She was biting her lip. "Fine, yes! Now stop teasing me!"

"No", he insisted, keeping up the same slow circles. "I want you to _tell_ me. What were you doing when you were thinking about me?"

"I… I was touching myself", she breathed. "Imagining it was you."

"Oh", he sighed, closing his eyes for a moment at the thought. Then he bent down and brushed his lips against her ear. "Show me."

She opened her eyes. "What?"

"I want to see it. Show me what you did."

She laughed. "No, that's what I have _you _for."

She made a plaintive sound as he withdrew his hand, then groaned as he started kissing her neck.

"Please", he whispered against her skin. "It would be so sexy."

"I don't know…" she hesitated.

"You've done this before when we were on the phone together, when you were back in Spain."

"I know, but you weren't watching me then. It's just… it's very personal."

He looked into her eyes. "I know. Share it with me."

"But it's not what I want right now, Sergio, I want _you_. I've had to miss you all week."

He hesitated. He wanted her too, but the thought that she would do this for him was irresistible… Besides, they had plenty of time afterwards. So he brushed his lips against hers for just a second, then murmured: "I'll make it up to you afterwards. I'll make it worth your while."

"Mmm", she replied and he could feel that he was swaying her. "Is that a promise?"

"A solemn one", he nodded, letting his hand dip between her legs again for a moment. "I _guarantee _that you won't regret it."

"_Oh_", she sighed as he touched her. "Oh, alright."

His eyes lit up. "Let me turn on the light. I want to see you properly."

She groaned and shielded her eyes as he lit the lamp on the bedside table.

"Why do you have to be so _weird_", she grumbled, making him grin. "Waking me up in the middle of the night just to watch me masturbate. Haven't seen you in more than a week and we could be fucking properly, but _no_, Mr. Marquina chooses this moment of all moments to get kinky."

He closed her mouth with his and gave her a kiss that left her breathless. She reached up a hand to pull him in for another kiss, but he sat back and shook his head, a look in his eyes that made her shiver.

"If you want more kisses, you'll have to earn them."

She sat up and leaned forward, bringing her face close to his. "You think I'll give in to that kind of blackmail?"

He leaned in too, until their lips were almost touching. "I think you might."

She gave him a calculating look. "You're getting very cheeky. I'm not sure I like it."

"I think you do", he said with a half-smile. "I think you love it. I think you can't resist me, and that's why you'll do exactly as I say."

"You're a wicked man", she whispered.

"I don't think you're complaining, though."

Her eyes shone. "No. No, I'm not."

"Good", he murmured. "Undress yourself. I want you naked."

She sat back and he bit his lip as she looked him straight in the eye and started undressing challengingly slowly. She was so hot, she was so beautiful, and she was all his. Sometimes he couldn't believe that this wasn't a dream. How had he gone from being a recluse like Martin, to ending up in bed with this gorgeous woman, taking off her clothes because he asked her to? He decided not to question it too much and just enjoy it – and _god_, was he going to enjoy it.

She pulled her top over her head and threw it on the floor, then took off her underwear, still looking at him.

"Now lie down", he said.

He moved to the foot end of the bed to make room for her, not taking his eyes off her. He _loved _looking at her so much. He hadn't seen her all week and all he wanted right now was just to look at her, to drink in the familiar lines of her.

She obeyed him, settling herself comfortably in the pillows.

"Now touch yourself", he whispered.

She lifted a hand and softly stroked her stomach, giving him a look of pure longing.

"Talk to me, Sergio."

That threw him off. "What?"

"I need you to talk to me while I do this."

He cleared his throat. "Uhm… about what?"

"The weather", she said sarcastically, and he laughed. Then she gave him a tantalizing smile. "Say something sexy. Turn me on. I'm not feeling it right now."

They'd done this often on the phone when she was in Spain, but never in person. He paused. He always needed a moment to channel the Professor when she wanted him to do this. "What should I say?"

She flashed him an enticing look. "You promised me that you would make this worth my while. I think I'm going to need more details. Tell me what you're going to do."

He smiled as he felt his confidence return. She wasn't the only one who had been fantasizing about this all week. "Oh, gladly."

She closed her eyes with a contented expression as he started speaking.

"I've been dreaming about you all week, Raquel", he said, his voice a low rumble. "I've been dreaming of holding you, kissing you, touching you, making love to you. And I'm going to take so much pleasure in doing exactly that."

She smiled, moving her hand up to cup a breast, and he lost his train of thought for a moment as she brushed her thumb over her nipple and sighed as it hardened. Then he recovered himself and continued.

"I know exactly what you like, I know exactly how to make you moan. And I'm going to make you moan for me."

She pinched her nipple and a soft 'oh!' escaped from her lips.

"Yes", he whispered, swallowing hard. "Just like that."

He couldn't tear his eyes away from her hand as she slowly slid it down her stomach.

"God, Raquel", he said, his eyes wide as she slipped her hand between her legs. "That's so sexy. Are you wet?"

She dipped down two fingers. "Yes."

He sighed. "Oh, I love it when you're wet for me."

"Go on", she whispered, starting to stroke herself.

"I can't wait to taste you", he said, his voice strained with longing.

Her fingers were moving in a steady rhythm now, and he was starting to see the effects on her: her chest was flushing, her lips parted, her breathing quickened.

"Raquel", he continued, "when I have my mouth on you, I'm going to make you come so hard."

"Oh!" she gasped, biting her lip. "Say that again."

"I'm going to make you come for me", he repeated, his voice low and soft. "I'm going to make you say my name."

Her fingers were moving faster now, and she was arching her back, her head thrown back. He groaned softly – this was almost unbearably hot, and he was painfully hard.

"Don't stop", she whispered urgently. "Don't stop now!"

He pulled himself together. "I can't wait to be inside of you. I'm making you wait now, but I promised to make it up to you and I will. I'm going to fuck you, Raquel, long and slow and very, _very _thoroughly."

"Oh", she moaned. "Oh god!"

"I'm going to take you hard and deep, because that's the way you like it, don't you?"

"Yes", she whispered, her breathing fast and uneven. "Oh, yes!"

He couldn't go on as she suddenly tensed and started trembling, _god _how he loved this, watching as her entire body shook, her eyes tightly closed, little moans coming from her lips. It went on for several long moments, and he was completely breathless by the time she relaxed and withdrew her hand, breathing hard. He moved up to lie next to her and stroked her arm as she recovered.

"Raquel", he whispered. "That was _so _sexy. _You _are so sexy."

She opened her eyes and smiled up at him, and he bent his head to kiss her.

"I'm going to want to see that again at some point", he murmured.

"Let's see how well you hold up _your _end of the bargain first", she said, grinning. "Or was all of that just talk?"

"No way", he said. "I'm a man of my word."

"Prove it", she whispered, then smiled and stretched luxuriously as he moved down to lie between her thighs.

He took his time with her, exploring, licking, circling, and soon she was gasping again, her fingers tangling into his hair. He knew her so well – he could make her come within five minutes if he wanted to, but he set up a careful pattern of approaching and retreating, bringing her to the edge several times but pulling away at the very last moment. He knew he was testing her patience, and he wasn't surprised when, after the third time, she tugged sharply on his hair.

"Sergio!"

He grinned. "I promised to make you come, but I didn't promise anything about how long it was going to take."

"You're playing a dangerous game, mister."

"How so?" he asked, making her shiver with a long, broad stroke of his tongue.

"If you don't follow through this time, there will be consequences!"

"I'll take my chances", he murmured, applying his tongue in such a way that it immediately had her gasping. He struck a rhythm, exactly where she wanted him, and it took mere seconds before she was arching her back, tensing, moaning… then he stopped again. She let out a cry of frustration and pushed herself up on her elbows to look daggers at him.

"Oh, you're going to regret this."

He gave her a smug smile. "Try me." Then he kissed her thigh. "Trust me, though, this will make it so much better."

He was absolutely right, he knew, as he pressed his mouth against her one final time. It would be worth the wait. He played her skillfully, and soon she twisted her fingers into the sheets, moaning, tilting her hips, and this time he didn't pull away as she started trembling. He'd told her he would make her say his name and she did, over and over again as she rose up out of the pillows with a cry. The feeling kept crashing through her, much longer than usual, and he drew it out moment after exquisite moment, until she fell back sobbing, shivering, completely out of breath.

He moved up and took her in his arms, holding her close as she shuddered through the aftershocks. Then she opened her eyes and looked up at him with a dreamy expression.

"Good?" he asked her, smiling.

"_Oh"_, was all she could say, and he kissed her, softly, slowly.

After several long kisses, she was recovered enough to let her hand wander down his stomach. He closed his eyes as she touched him, and his desire flared suddenly with breathtaking intensity.

"I want you", she whispered urgently. "I've waited long enough, I want you _now._"

He had no objections whatsoever, his longing for her the only thing he could think of as he placed his body on top of hers and she opened her legs so he could lie between them. Before he could enter her, however, she grabbed his hair and made him look at her.

"So", she said, giving him a challenging look, her eyes sparkling in a way that should have warned him. "You were going to fuck me thoroughly, right?"

He nodded. "Until you're completely satisfied."

"Alright. Then you're not allowed to come until I say so."

He grinned. "Deal."

It was absolute heaven as he finally sank into her, filling her up entirely, her body against his, warm and soft and lovely in his arms. He buried his face against her neck and breathed in deeply, reveling in the fact that she was so close to him again. When he started moving inside her, she moaned softly, and he soon realized that maybe he'd made a rather rash promise by guaranteeing that he wouldn't come too soon. He tried to keep a tight rein on himself, but he hadn't seen her all week and his stamina wasn't what it usually was. She felt so good around him, _so good_, lifting her hips to meet his every thrust. He closed his eyes tightly and groaned.

"Don't you dare come yet", she warned him. "Don't you dare!"

He clenched his jaw as she ran her nails down his back, drawing paths of delicious fire. "That's… not… helping."

"That's what you get for making me wait", she whispered, biting his earlobe.

_God_, what a woman. He took a deep breath and gathered every last ounce of restraint he had as he pushed into her again and again. When she ran her nails down his back again, however, he shuddered and almost lost control.

"Are you regretting it yet?" she murmured, stroking the back of his neck, sending a shiver down his spine.

"No", he said through gritted teeth.

"Liar", she said, then softly bit his shoulder, making him gasp and sending him right up against the edge of his restraint.

"Alright, yes", he groaned. "Raquel, I… I can't keep going much longer."

"Apologize", she said, gripping his hair and giving it a sharp tug.

"I'm sorry", he said immediately. "I've never been so sorry in my life."

"Good", she said, satisfied, lifting up her face to kiss his cheek. "Now say something nice."

He stopped moving – he couldn't think like this. It took several moments for him to catch his breath and gather his thoughts, then he looked into her eyes, so dark and lovely, and said quietly: "You're magnificent, Raquel. Magnificent. You're an absolute goddess and if you let me, I will worship you until the day I die."

Her eyes were shining as she looked up at him, and she gave him a radiant smile, then pulled him in for a tender kiss.

"I've missed you so much", she whispered against his lips.

"I've missed you too", he whispered back. "You have no idea."

"Alright", she smiled. "Go ahead."

He breathed a deep sigh of relief as he pushed into her once more and immediately felt the tension inside him build to an almost unbearable pitch, making him tense, then he started shaking uncontrollably as he finally let go, crying out, and everything was fire for several long moments as he came deep inside her.

She held him as he caught his breath, gently stroking his shoulders. Finally, he took his weight off her and went to lie on his back so she could cuddle up to him, her arm draped over his chest, their fingers entwined.

"That was _amazing_", he sighed.

"It sure was", she smiled, kissing his shoulder.

They were quiet for a while, happy, replete. Then she asked:

"So how was your visit?"

"Alright. It was nice to work on a plan again for a bit, and it was good to see my friend again."

"Where do you know him from?"

"Like I said, he was a friend of my father's."

"And is he a friend of yours now?"

"Yes", he said thoughtfully, "I suppose he is."

"How is your friend doing on his deserted island?"

"Martin", he said quietly. "His name is Martin."

"Alright", she nodded. "Isn't Martin very lonely?"

"Yes", he whispered. "Terribly. Though I don't think he realizes it."

He was lost in thought for a few moments, then he said:

"You know, Martin is actually the reason I chose to come to Palawan after the heist. He told me about it when he was 'shopping' for an island to buy."

"Really?"

"Yes. I suppose on some level I thought it would be good to be close to him… or as close as I could be. You know, in case he needed someone."

She gave him a thoughtful look. "He's important to you."

"Well… I hadn't seen him in years, but yes, there was a time when he was important to me. After my father died, Andrés and I didn't really have anyone but each other. Martin… Martin didn't exactly take care of us – he's not that kind of person – but he checked in every once in a while. Made sure we didn't lack for anything. We kept in touch for years afterwards, and I helped him with some jobs. He introduced me to many of the people I worked with for the heist."

"He sounds like a good person."

Sergio hesitated. "I don't think there are many people who would use that descriptor for him, but yes, in his own way, he's a good man."

"You should go visit him again", she said softly.

He turned to look at her. "Really?"

"He sounds so lonely, Sergio, it breaks my heart. I'd tell you to invite him here, but…"

He shook his head. "He wouldn't come."

"I thought so. Then you'll have to go to him."

"Didn't you mind me being gone so long?"

She hesitated. "I… I didn't _like _it, but I can live with it. It's for a good cause. And besides", she smiled, tilting up her face to nip at his earlobe, "it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make if the sex is _this good _when you come back."

He laughed and hugged her closer. What a woman – passionate and compassionate, strong and soft, sweet and sexy and kind. He didn't believe in God, but he couldn't help but send a silent 'thank you' to whatever power had brought him to her. He thought of Martin, alone on his island, and he pressed a kiss to her hair.

"Thank you", he whispered.

"What for?"

"Saving me", he said. "From a life like Martin's."

She reached up a hand and stroked his beard while she kissed his cheek.

"You're not like Martin, though."

"I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I really am, Raquel."

She shook her head. "Men like Martin don't _want _to be saved. You did."

"Did I?"

"Yes. Do you remember how fast you fell for me?"

"So fast", he laughed. "At the speed of light."

"Yes", she smiled. "Why do you think that was?"

"Because you're amazing and I would have had to be the biggest idiot in the world not to fall for you."

"That's very sweet of you", she chuckled, "but think again."

He took some time to reflect.

"Because…" he said slowly, "because something inside me was already looking for you. Something inside me has always been looking for you."

"Exactly", she whispered. "So when you found me, you were ready. You _wanted _to find me, Sergio. You were never supposed to be alone forever."

"For so long, I really thought I was."

"Well now you know better", she smiled.

He wrapped his arms even tighter around her.

"Watch out", she laughed, "if you squeeze me too hard you _will _have to spend the rest of your life alone."

He laughed and released her. "I guess I'd better take good care of you then."

Her eyes started sparkling. "Yes… I think you should. I think we should start tomorrow with breakfast in bed, and a massage, and lots of chocolate…"

He was laughing.

"… and flowers, and maybe a poem or two if you're up for it, and _at least _three orgasms…"

"You want three orgasms tomorrow?"

"At _least_", she reminded him.

He smiled. "Well, _technically _it's already after midnight, so how about we get started on those right now and I'll see about the rest of that stuff in the morning?"

She laughed as he ducked under the sheet. "I was _joking_!"

"I'm not", he murmured against her skin.

She sighed with a blissful smile as he started trailing kisses down her body. Soon enough, she was moaning his name again.


	5. Blanketsburg

It was a chilly and rainy afternoon. The sky outside was boiling with clouds, the ocean was grey, and the wind was furiously whipping the leaves of the palm trees around. Sergio didn't mind the weather though – it gave him an excuse to spend the day working in his study without having to feel guilty about 'wasting' the nice weather outside. He always got more done on rainy days. Raquel had gone out to run errands, Paula was watching cartoons on her iPad, Marivi was resting, and Sergio was looking forward to a productive afternoon.

Before leaving, Raquel had asked him to review the structural soundness of a charity she was considering supporting, and he was completely absorbed in his work when a small voice sounded from the doorway.

"Sergio?"

He looked up, startled. He hadn't even heard the door open.

"Yes, Paula?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

She came further into the room.

"I'm bored."

"That's not a question."

She considered this. "Okay, then… what can I do?"

"Weren't you watching cartoons?"

"I'm not allowed to watch more than an hour… unless you say it's okay?" she tried hopefully.

He shifted uncomfortably. "Uhm… no, I can't give you permission for that, that's something you should ask your mother."

"Then what can I _do_? I can't go outside, it's raining."

"You could read?"

"I don't want to read."

"Draw something?"

"I don't want to draw."

Sergio cast around for another suggestion – he wasn't exactly an expert on children's games.

"What did you usually do when it rained back in Spain?"

"I don't know… watch TV, or play a game, or…" She suddenly looked up, her eyes shining. "I know! We could build a blanket fort!"

Sergio blinked. "Uhm… 'we'?"

"Yes _please_", Paula said appealingly. "It's no fun to do it alone!"

"I… uh… I could call the parents of your friend Marisol and ask if she can come play with you?"

"Marisol is on holiday."

"Another friend, then…?"

"I want to build it with _you_, though."

He looked down at his papers, but they weren't urgent, and he had to admit that he was pleased that she would ask him. He gave her a tentative look.

"What… what would we do, exactly?"

"To build a blanket fort?"

"Yes. I'm familiar with the concept, but not with the specific procedure."

"Didn't you build blanket forts when you were little?"

"No", he admitted. "I've never built a blanket fort."

She frowned at him. "Why not?"

"Well", he explained, "I was very sick as a child. I spent a lot of time in hospitals, and there are no blanket forts allowed in there."

"Well, it's really easy! You just throw blankets over things."

He hesitated. "To what purpose?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, _why _do you throw blankets over things?"

"So you can sit under them."

"Why do you want to sit under them?"

She looked at him like he was a little slow. "Because it's fun."

"Ah", he said. "I see."

"Come on!" she said enthusiastically. "If we start now, we can show it to mom when she gets home!"

He got up and followed her into the living room.

"You get a blanket!" she ordered as she started moving chairs around, so he went to the linen closet and took out a clean sheet. He helped Paula drape it over the backs of four chairs, so they created a little tent.

"Now we have to decorate it", Paula said, so they fetched a few cushions and a small, low table, then Paula crawled inside.

Sergio stood hesitating for a few moments, but then Paula's voice sounded from under the sheet:

"You have to come in too, Sergio!"

So he got down on his knees and ducked underneath the sheet. It was cozy inside – he could see the appeal – but…

"I wouldn't call this a blanket _fort_", he said. "It's more of a… blanket _cabin."_

Paula giggled as he tried to find a way to fit inside. "Maybe we can make it bigger?"

"Yes", Sergio mused, looking around. "We could add another chair, or even two… We'd need another sheet, though… and maybe there's a way to lift the center a little higher…"

He spent a few moments in thought, then turned to the girl.

"Paula… what would you say if we built a _proper _blanket fort?"

…

Raquel opened the front door with her arms full of grocery bags, her mind already on dinner, when she was brought up short by a sheet hanging in front of the doorway to the living room.

She blinked at it. What the…?

"Mom!" Paula's voice sounded from behind the sheet. "Mom, we built a blanket fort!"

"I can see that", she said, putting down her groceries and pushing aside the sheet. Behind it was a tunnel made of blankets that led into the living room, almost high enough for an adult to stand up. "Paula, does Sergio know about this?"

"Yes", came Sergio's voice from somewhere inside the fort, and Raquel's eyebrows went up.

"Wait, you're _in there?_"

He came into view down the tunnel, hunched forward and with an embarrassed smile on his face.

"Hi", he said, straightening up and kissing her.

"What's all this?"

"We built a blanket fort."

"Did Paula ask for your permission to make it this big?"

He pushed his glasses up his nose. "It… uh, it may have been my idea."

She laughed. "What? Why?"

"Because it's fun", he smiled.

Her eyebrows went up further. "Since when do you do things for fun?"

He gave her a warm look. "Since I met you."

She smiled up at him. "Well, yes… we do have fun together."

He pulled her close, wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck.

"We certainly do."

She immediately felt the familiar tingle in her lower belly, and she sighed and tilted her head as he kissed her neck. Even after all of these months, he barely had to touch her… But it was the middle of the afternoon, this definitely wasn't an option right now.

"Don't…", she whispered half-heartedly, but he chuckled.

"Somehow I get the feeling that you don't really mean that."

She groaned as he kissed her neck again. "Sergio… we can't…"

"Mmm… too bad. We'll have to make up for it tonight."

She gripped his hair and made him look up.

"I'm holding you to that."

He grinned. "Please do."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself to him for one deep kiss, then she regretfully let him go.

"Alright, so… how about this blanket fort?"

He smiled and held out his hand to her. "Come and see."

He led her through the tunnel until they encountered another sheet. She stretched out her hand to push it aside, but Sergio held her back and shook his head.

"I'm afraid you'll have to prove you're worthy to enter."

She snorted. "_Excuse _me? I might not be allowed _in? _In my own home?_"_

"This blanket fort is an independent territory, we are not part of the house anymore. And we're _very _selective with who is allowed in."

From the other side of the sheet, Paula's voice sounded:

"Password?"

"How can I know the password?" Raquel asked.

"You have to answer a riddle", Sergio said.

"What if I just walk in?"

"Then Paula will hit you with a pillow."

Raquel laughed. "Okay, what's the riddle?"

Paula's voice said: "I am stone, but I have hair. I'm a color, but I breathe. I am known for trapping bugs. What am I?"

Raquel thought about it for a moment, then she recognized their cat in the description.

"Amber", she said, and Sergio smiled.

"Yes!" Paula said, and the sheet was drawn back so they could enter.

They emerged into a space in the middle of the living room that was almost high enough to stand up in. Raquel looked around in amazement. They had constructed a room within the room, the sloping walls and ceiling made up of what seemed to be every sheet and blanket they owned, supported by chairs and ropes strung between the walls. There were plants and a few lamps, and in the middle there was a low table with cushions around it. Paula was looking up at her mother, grinning broadly.

"Look what we built, mom!"

Raquel raised her eyebrows. "So I'm gone for a few hours and when I get back all of my sheets are hanging in my living room and my house has become Tent Town?"

"Actually", Sergio corrected her, "it's Blanketsburg."

She laughed. "_Blanketsburg?_"

"The Free and Autonomous City-State of Blanketsburg, to be exact."

"Autonomous means we're our own country", Paula explained.

Sergio nodded. "We declared our independence from the Philippines about an hour ago."

"We're like Singapore", Paula said.

"We've been learning about city-states", Sergio said.

"So, how are things run in Blanketsburg?"

"We're a constutional democracy", Paula said.

"Cons_ti_tutional", Sergio corrected her gently.

"Yes", Paula said. "Sergio is the President, and I'm the Vice-President, because I'm still learning. But if he dies, I get to take over!"

"Hey", Sergio said in mock indignation. "You don't have to sound so enthusiastic about that idea, Ms. Vice-President."

Raquel laughed. "I'd keep an eye out for assassins if I were you."

"Maybe you could be my bodyguard", he winked.

Paula was chattering on, oblivious.

"The economy isn't very strong yet", she said seriously, "but that's because we don't have enough shells."

"Shells?" Raquel said, confused.

"That's our money", Paula said enthusiastically.

Sergio nodded. "It's a fairly stable currency, though we do expect some inflation when there's a high tide."

"A high tide?" Raquel said, alarmed. "Uhm… how permanent is this settlement, exactly?"

"Don't worry", Sergio smiled. "We'll take it down before bed."

"But can we have dinner in here?" Paula asked, her eyes big. "Please?"

"Oh, alright", Raquel said, to Paula's delight.

They ate sitting cross-legged on the cushions around the low table, feeling like nomads in their tent, and Sergio and Paula kept discussing the details of their constitution (universal healthcare and candy for everyone), their flag ("No, Paula, we can't have a rainbow flag, that means something else") and their mascot (Amber). Raquel looked at her daughter's shining eyes and reached out to take Sergio's hand and squeeze it. He gave her an absent smile, then turned back to the discussion, and she chuckled as she realized he was enjoying himself just as much as Paula was. After dinner, though, it was time to clear things away, and Sergio and Paula dismantled the tent as Raquel cleaned up in the kitchen. When she put her daughter to bed an hour later, Paula was blinking with tiredness, but she was still talking about their city-state.

Raquel smiled. "So you had a good time with Sergio today?"

"Yes!" Paula said. "He's really good at building forts. You know how we got the blankets up?"

"You can tell me all about it tomorrow", Raquel said, "but now you have to sleep. You have school tomorrow."

Paula nodded and settled happily between the sheets as Raquel tucked her in and kissed her goodnight. By the time Raquel was at the door and turned off the light, she was already asleep.

Raquel went to check on her mother in her bedroom, then walked into the living room, where Sergio was reading on the couch, though it was clear that he could barely keep his eyes open. She joined him and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you", she said.

He looked up. "What for?"

"Paula had a great time today."

"Me too", he said, seeming surprised. "I'd never built a blanket fort before, it was interesting."

She laughed. "You know, usually blanket forts don't involve seceding from your country and starting your own."

"Really?" he said mildly. "How boring."

She noticed that he suppressed a yawn, so she said: "Maybe we should go to bed."

"Yes", he murmured, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her closer so he could nuzzle her ear. "Maybe we should."

She smiled. "I meant to sleep."

"Well then we were thinking two entirely different things. I seem to remember I promised you something earlier."

"Aren't you too tired?"

"Not for this", he smiled. "That is, if you want to…"

She put her hand on his chest and looked up at him with sparkling eyes.

"You know… I've never slept with a President before."

He grinned. "Would you like to?"

"Maybe", she said playfully. "Though as your bodyguard, my first priority is to keep you safe. I think I'd better sleep in the room with you tonight, so I can protect you."

He nodded seriously. "That _would _make me feel safer."

She got up. "Let's see if we can secure the location."

He eagerly followed her into the bedroom, and she locked the door behind them.

"There", she said. "Now no assassins can get in."

He gave her a thoughtful look.

"Hmm… how do I know that _you're _not an assassin, posing as my bodyguard?"

She suppressed a smile. "I assure you that you can trust me, Mr. President. But if it would make you feel more comfortable, I'd gladly let you search me for hidden weapons."

"Yes", he mused. "I think that would indeed make me feel more comfortable."

He stepped closer, and she held her breath as he stopped just in front of her and brought his mouth very close to hers.

"Let's see if you have anything to hide", he whispered, then ran his hands down her back, making her shiver. She stood perfectly still as he moved his hands down over her buttocks, then kneeled down in front of her to slowly run his hands down her legs. Finally he got back up.

"Turn around", he ordered her in a low voice, and she obeyed him immediately. He came to stand very close behind her, then slowly drew a hand down over her chest and between her breasts. Next, he used both hands to feel underneath her breasts, then she gasped as he ran his thumbs over her hard nipples.

"I'm sorry", he murmured in her ear. "I have to make sure I don't miss any spots."

"Yes", she whispered. "I agree that you should search me _thoroughly._"

He moved his hands down her stomach to caress her hips, then his warm breath was at her ear again.

"Spread your legs."

She swallowed and did as he said, and the next moment his hand was between her legs. He pressed it against her, and she inhaled sharply as she felt her knees go weak. Oh, she wanted him, she wanted him so badly.

"That seems to be in order", he said as he withdrew his hand, and she turned around to face him, a little flushed.

"So I can stay?"

"Yes", he said. "You can stay."

"Good", she murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I think I'd better stay _very _close to you tonight."

"That sounds like an excellent idea", he agreed, putting his arms around her waist and pulling her firmly against him.

She looked into his eyes for several breathless moments, and then his mouth was on hers and he was kissing her fiercely, and her hands were in his hair as she kissed him back with equal enthusiasm. As she pressed herself even closer to him, she felt him hard against her hip, and suddenly she couldn't wait anymore – they started undressing each other at the same time, urgently, and soon their clothes were on the floor and she pushed him down onto the bed and climbed on top of him. His eyes were shining with admiration as he looked up at her, and he groaned softly as she took hold of him and guided him in. Her breath hitched as she sank down on him – oh, he felt _so good _inside of her – then she started riding him, fast. His hands were on her hips, pulling her down harder, making her moan every time he filled her up, and she slipped a hand between her own legs and gasped as she touched herself.

"Oh, Raquel", he whispered. "That's so sexy, I – oh… _oh!"_

He closed his eyes and gripped her hips tightly as he shuddered underneath her, and she moved up and down a last few times, then stopped, looking at him in surprise. He usually lasted longer than this, but she supposed his stamina wasn't what it usually was because he was so tired. She smiled understandingly and slipped off him, waiting to see what he'd do now, her body thrumming with unreleased tension… then she noticed to her astonishment that he'd already fallen asleep. She felt a surge of disappointment – she knew a lot of men fell asleep right after coming, but Sergio had _never_, always making sure she was satisfied. For a moment, she was annoyed with him, but then she shook her head and smiled. He was exhausted from playing games with her daughter all day – how could she be mad at him for _that_? She briefly considered finishing by herself, but it would feel very weird to masturbate while he was sleeping next to her, so she just took a few deep breaths, pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, then settled herself against him and went to sleep.

…

She woke up the next morning because he was stroking her shoulder, and she opened sleepy eyes to see him looking at her with a guilty expression.

"I'm sorry", he said repentantly. "I can't believe I just fell asleep yesterday."

"It's okay", she murmured, "you were very tired."

"Still", he said, "it wasn't very… gentlemanly."

She chuckled sleepily. "Really, it's okay. As long as it doesn't happen every time."

He bent his head and nuzzled her ear.

"Can I make it up to you?"

"I don't know…" she smiled. "How do you propose to do that?"

"Well…" he said, then started kissing her neck.

She sighed happily and tilted her head as a slow, creeping tingle started up in her belly. How did he do that? How did he make her body react to him so instantly, even before she was properly awake? She never used to like morning sex, but with him, somehow, she was ready every time of the day or night. He moved his kisses down to her chest and breasts, and she felt her nipples harden in anticipation. When he reached them, he just gently ran his tongue over them, careful not to overstimulate her when her body was still waking up, and she felt a first whisper of desire between her legs. As he took a nipple into his mouth, the feeling of desire grew stronger, and after a few minutes, she moved her hips to signal her readiness, then settled herself more comfortably into the pillows with a happy smile as he kissed his way down her stomach and she opened her legs to him. Oh, this was going to be an _amazing _start to her day.

He settled himself between her thighs and was just about to dip down his head when the phone on her nightstand suddenly started beeping loudly, making them both jump.

"Oh, you've got to be _kidding _me", she grumbled, reaching out a hand to turn off the alarm. "Well that's just _perfect _timing."

"Hmm", he murmured, pressing a kiss to the inside of her thigh. "Can't you stay in bed… just a little longer?"

She hesitated, torn, and he pressed his advantage, kissing her higher up on her thigh.

"Perhaps just… five more minutes?"

She almost gave in, but then she shook her head and scooted away from him.

"I'd love to, _believe me_, but I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to relax knowing that it had to happen in a hurry."

He nodded regretfully. "I understand."

But as she moved to get out of bed, he caught her around the waist and nuzzled her neck.

"Don't think I'll forget about this, though. I'll doubly make it up to you tonight."

She smiled and turned her head to kiss him. "I can't wait."

…

After she dropped Paula off at school, she wanted nothing more than to return home and pull Sergio right back into bed with her, but she'd made an appointment at the charity she was fundraising for, and that took her most of the day. By the time she got out, it was time to pick Paula up from school again, then there was homework and making dinner. While she was cooking, Paula spent some time drawing, and when Sergio emerged from his study, she proudly presented him with her drawing.

"I made this for you", she said, and he took the piece of paper from her with a look of wonder.

Raquel came over to take a look: it was a picture of Paula and Sergio in the blanket fort – at the top, Paula had written 'Blanketsburg' in big capital letters.

Raquel smiled. "That's a great picture, sweetheart."

"Yes", Sergio agreed. "It's… thank you."

He looked so pleased, and when Raquel walked into his study after putting Paula to bed, she saw to her delight that he'd hung the picture on the wall next to his desk.

"Aren't you sweet", she smiled, bending down to kiss his cheek.

"I can't believe she made that for me", he said.

"She likes you", Raquel said. "And you scored a lot of points yesterday. Kids love blanket forts."

He got a mysterious smile on his face.

"You know", he said. "Blanket forts aren't just fun for kids."

"No, I know", she said. "It was fun for everyone to have dinner in there."

"Not what I meant", he said, getting up from his desk and taking her hand. "Come with me."

He led her to their bedroom, and she looked at him in surprise as he opened the door.

"Sergio, what did you _do? _Where's our bed?"

"Taken apart and put in the guest room", he said. "I'll put it back tomorrow. But for tonight…"

He pulled her into the room and closed and locked the door behind them. In the middle of the room, where their bed usually was, he'd built a little blanket fort. He lifted one of the sides, and she raised her eyebrows as she got on her hands and knees and crawled inside. The little tent was filled with pillows, and there were strings of fairy lights hanging from the 'ceiling' – it was quite the coziest place Raquel had ever been in, and she smiled broadly at Sergio as he joined her and pulled down the sheet after himself, shutting out the outside world. It was just big enough to fit the two of them.

"This is so nice", she said appreciatively. "I love it."

"I'm glad", he smiled, then pushed her down into the pillows with a kiss.

She loved the atmosphere he had created here – in this big world, a tiny place just for the two of them, and she felt the worries of the day fade away as he kissed her. The fairy lights provided a gentle golden glow that made everything seem soft and fuzzy, and there was nobody in the world but she and him, nestled warm and together in the mountain of pillows. He lifted his head to look down at her, his eyes dark and warm, and she reached up a hand and stroked his cheek.

"You're incredible", she smiled. "Did you do all of this just because you fell asleep last night?"

"Partially", he said, shifting closer to her. "But I also couldn't think of anything nicer than to spend the night with you in a blanket fort."

"No", she whispered, "me neither."

She drew his head down to kiss him again, and she found that it was much easier than usual to lose herself in the kiss, to focus only on the sensations of his mouth on hers, his tongue brushing past her lips, the familiar but still-exciting smell of him. She wanted to touch him, feel his skin, be close to him, so they undressed each other slowly, never breaking contact, sinking deeply into kiss after kiss between each item of clothing. Soon, they were both naked, and she ran loving hands over the muscles of his shoulders and back – how she loved touching him – how she could never get enough of him. She tilted her head and sighed as he started kissing the sensitive skin of her throat while running his hand slowly down the side of her body, causing a warm stirring of desire deep inside of her. Unlike that morning, they had time now and they took it – a sea of time – oceans of time – they were outside of reality now, and it felt like they had all the time in the world.

There was something about the small, intimate space they were in that made her feel more relaxed than usual, more open to the pleasures he was evoking as she settled herself comfortably in the pillows and surrendered to him. He absolutely covered her in kisses, raising goosebumps on her skin and making her shiver in delight as his beard brushed over her stomach, her sensitive sides, the soft inside of her thighs. She opened her legs to him, but he didn't engage yet, instead kissing his way back up over her stomach to draw circles around her nipple with his tongue until it hardened. She sighed as he closed his warm mouth over it and sucked, sending waves of bright, tingling pleasure right through her until her entire body was humming with desire for him.

"Sergio", she whispered, shifting her hips. "Sergio, I want you."

In response, he just switched to her other nipple and sucked again, making her clutch at his hair as the tingling between her legs intensified until she was breathless.

"Sergio", she gasped, but he didn't stop, he just took her other nipple between his fingers and squeezed it, doubling down on the sensation until she just couldn't take it anymore.

"Sergio!"

He looked up with an innocent smile.

"Yes?"

She suppressed a laugh.

"Don't look at me like you don't know what you're doing!"

"What am I doing?" he murmured, flicking his tongue over her nipple again, making her shudder.

"You're driving me mad", she groaned.

"In a good way or a bad way?"

"A good way", she whispered as he closed his mouth over her nipple again, causing a pulling sensation she felt right down to her toes. "A very, _very _good way – but – _oh!_"

The pulling sensation inside her reached an unbearable peak, making her throw back her head with a moan as she arched her back. At that exact moment, he ducked down between her legs and pressed his mouth to her, and to her astonishment she came immediately – an involuntary cry escaped her lips as she rose up out of the pillows, her entire body shaking as the feeling crashed through her, exquisite and electric and beyond intense, making her gasp for air. He kept her going and going, and she was completely out of breath by the time he finally eased off and she fell back down into the pillows.

"Fuck", she breathed, panting. "_Fuck _Sergio, _oh my god."_

He looked up at her with a pleased smile.

"So… does that make up for last night?"

"Yes", she said, still trying to catch her breath.

He regarded her thoughtfully.

"I think I'd like a little more enthusiasm. Let's try again."

She laughed as he dipped his head back down, but it quickly became a moan as he ran his tongue over her. Oh, that felt _so good… _He avoided her most sensitive spot for a bit, leaving her time to recover, but he made up for it by entering her with two fingers and pressing upwards, making her arch her hips into his touch with another moan. He struck up a steady rhythm, and she felt a low hum of tension start up in her lower belly. Meanwhile, he kept circling her with his tongue, only just brushing past the spot where she wanted him the most, and soon she felt herself balance on the edge, the tension inside of her building and building until she was aching for it to be released.

"_Sergio",_ she cried when she just couldn't take it anymore.

In response, he flicked his tongue over her, just once, and she let out a plaintive sound.

"Sergio, _please..._"

He finally obliged her, and again her reaction was immediate and intense – she arched her back with a cry as the feeling rushed through her a second time, making her tremble uncontrollably as she grasped at the pillows underneath her. After several long, breathless seconds, the sensation became too much to bear and she pushed against his head, but he only eased off a little, not stopping, keeping her shuddering with aftershocks until her breath was coming in sobs – then he finally withdrew completely. She relaxed back down onto the pillows, shivering, and ran a shaking hand over her face.

"So…" he repeated, and she looked up to see him look at her with raised eyebrows. "Does that make up for last night?"

"_Yes_", she whispered. "Yes, yes, yes, _god _yes!"

"That's better", he smiled, kissing her thigh.

She felt soft and warm and, somehow, still full of longing as she reached out for him.

"Come up", she murmured. "I want… I want to hold you, I want to feel you."

He nodded, his smile replaced by a look of warm tenderness as he moved up, and she sighed with contentment and wrapped her arms around him as he covered her body with his. She _loved _feeling him on top of her – she wished she could just make love with him all night, here in the warm, intimate atmosphere of their little blanket fort. He bent his head to kiss her, and she stroked his shoulders and the back of his neck as he reached a hand between them and guided himself to her.

She was so sensitive now, still tingling from two consecutive orgasms, and as he entered her, the sensation was nearly unbearably exquisite. She gasped and clutched at him as he pushed himself inside her inch by slow, delicious inch, and when he filled her up entirely, she pressed her face against his shoulder and moaned. He stayed still for a moment, letting her get used to the sensation, then he started moving slowly and she was almost overwhelmed with the bliss of it.

"Oh Raquel", he whispered in her ear. "You feel amazing… just _amazing._"

She didn't think she could speak – she could only utter a soft '_oh' _every time he pressed himself back into her. He held on much longer than yesterday, taking her at a steady pace that made her lose all sense of time. They moved together for a long time – an eternity – and when he finally buried his face in her hair and shuddered his release, she felt completely satisfied.

She kept him on top of her for a while, and they lost themselves in long, slow kisses. Finally he rolled off her onto his back, wrapping his arm around her waist as she settled herself against him, her head in the hollow of his shoulder.

"I'm not falling asleep this time", he assured her.

She chuckled and kissed his shoulder.

"Darling, after this, you can fall asleep all you want."

"No", he murmured, "I don't want to sleep yet."

"Good", she smiled, cuddling closer to him, and he tightened his arm around her.

"Isn't this nice?" he sighed happily, looking up at the fairy lights. "I love how cozy this feels."

She couldn't help but laugh – he was so cute.

"So you really discovered the delights of blanket forts, huh?"

He suddenly looked embarrassed.

"It's silly", he said, shaking his head. "You're right to laugh."

"No!" she said quickly. "No, I'm not laughing at you!"

"It's okay", he said, a little red in the face.

She considered him for a moment, then she said softly:

"You never got to be a kid, did you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You were always in the hospital, and your parents died when you were so young. Did you ever get the chance to just… play?"

He pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Well, I… I've always been rather serious, Raquel. I never wanted to play anyway."

"I think you did, though", she said. "All children want to play. You just never got the chance."

He sighed. "Maybe you're right."

She pushed herself up on an elbow.

"Did you enjoy yourself, building that blanket fort with Paula?"

"Yes", he smiled. "It was great."

"Then why don't you propose more games to her? She'll love that."

He looked up hopefully. "You really think that?"

"Yes", she smiled. "I'm sure of it. You have such a vivid imagination."

"Do I?"

"Of course!" she laughed. "The Free and Autonomous City-State of Blanketsburg? I never would have come up with that. And even just look at the heist you pulled off – you needed _quite _a bit of imagination for that."

"I suppose", he smiled.

"You have such an original way of thinking", she said. "Kids love that."

She bent her head to kiss him, then looked at him thoughtfully.

"You're full of surprises, you know that?"

He grinned. "I'm glad. I'd hate to become predictable."

She looked at the sheets around them.

"This blanket fort was a lovely surprise, for example… What would you say if we didn't take it down immediately?"

He perked up. "Really?"

"Yes", she smiled. "I like it. Let's keep it up for a few days."

He drew her head down and pressed a soft kiss against her lips. They kept talking softly for a while, kissing often. Then they fell asleep in each other's arms, the fairy lights twinkling softly above them.


	6. Trust

Sergio got up from his desk around midmorning and wandered into the kitchen, his mind still on the book he was reading. He hadn't decided yet if he wanted tea or coffee, but when he came into the kitchen and saw that Raquel had just made a pot of tea, he went with the easiest option and poured himself a cup. He took it back to his study and continued reading as it cooled, then he sipped it absentmindedly, only to be surprised by the unusual taste. What was in this, he thought, as he thoughtfully took another sip. Some kind of herb? It smelled vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite identify it. The taste was pleasant, however, so he got up and went to the kitchen for a second cup. He'd just finished it when Raquel popped her head around the door of his study.

"Sergio, could you just go out to the market and get us some fruit? Mother is being a little difficult so I have to stay here and help Anna."

"Of course", he said, getting up. "I'll be right back."

Raquel watched him walk out the door, then she went to the kitchen to get her mother's tea, which should be cool enough to drink by now. She took a cup out of the cupboard, then picked up the teapot and frowned. Why did it feel so light? She peered under the lid and saw that it was half-empty. Still frowning, she went out onto the porch.

"Mamá, have you had your tea already?"

"No", Marivi said. "At least… I don't think so?"

She looked questioningly at her nurse, but Anna shook her head too.

"No, she hasn't had it yet."

Raquel's frown deepened. "Then who…?"

Her eyes suddenly widened as she remembered a tea cup on Sergio's desk. Oh no, he _didn't, _did he? She rushed into his study and smelled the empty cup and yes – there was no way to mistake that smell. It baffled her that he hadn't noticed it himself. Oh _god, _and he'd gone out to the market!

"Mamá, Anna!" she shouted, grabbing her handbag and putting on her sandals. "I'm going out for a moment!"

She rushed out the door and hurried down the street, pulling out her phone to call him. He didn't pick up, however – she assumed that he'd left his phone at home. That meant she'd have to find him in the busy market, and she fervently hoped it wouldn't take too long. She reached the market and started to look around, torn between amusement and concern, and it took her almost fifteen minutes to spot him, at the very end of the long market street, walking towards her with a bag full of fruit.

"Sergio!" she called out, relieved, and he walked up to her.

"What are you doing here?" he said with mild surprise.

"I came to find you", she said, a little breathlessly.

"Why?"

She gave him a close look. "How are you feeling?"

He looked at her in confusion. "I'm feeling fine."

Now that she'd found him, amusement was winning out.

"Yeah, I bet you are", she grinned.

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know how to break this to you, but… you drank some of my mother's tea."

"Oh", he said. "I'm sorry. I can make more."

"No", she said meaningfully, "some of her _medicinal _tea."

He still wasn't following her. "What kind of medicine?"

Oh god, he was going to hate this. She took a deep breath.

"Don't you remember that we put in a request for… for medical marijuana for her Alzheimer's?"

She could see comprehension dawn on him as his eyes went wide.

"You mean… you mean what I drank had _marijuana _in it?"

"Yes", she said. "Sergio, _why _did you drink it?"

"I didn't know what it was!"

"But you were the one whoprocessed the paperwork!"

"That was months ago, I'd forgotten about it!"

"Didn't you recognize it from the smell?"

"No, I didn't!" he said, looking more and more alarmed. "Raquel, why was it in _tea_?"

"Mother doesn't like smoke." She gave him a careful look. "So… how much did you drink?"

A look of absolute horror was manifesting on his face as he whispered:

"Two cups."

She pressed a hand to her mouth, her eyes sparkling.

"This isn't funny, Raquel!"

"I'm sorry", she said, trying hard not to laugh. "But it's a _little _funny."

"Am I… am I going to get high?" he said.

"I'm afraid so", she said. "But don't worry, it's a gentle high."

"What does that even mean?!"

"Mother tried it yesterday for the first time and it just made her calm and happy. She only drank half a cup though…"

"Oh god", he groaned, pressing his hands to his face. "Oh _god!"_

"Now don't overreact", she said calmly. "It's not that bad…"

"Raquel, I don't want to get _high_!"

"Haven't you ever tried it before?"

"No, of course not! I don't even get drunk! You know I don't like anything altering my brain chemistry!"

"It will be fine, don't worry", she soothed him.

"Are you… are you sure you brewed it right? I don't feel anything."

"It takes at least half an hour to kick in", she said, and he hastily checked his watch.

"But… but that's _now!" _He looked up at her in alarm. "Raquel, I can't get _high _in public, we have to get home!"

"Yes", she nodded, "that's probably for the best."

They began maneuvering through the crowd as fast as they could, and Sergio kept talking to her in an urgent tone:

"Once the THC takes effect, my judgment will be impaired, so please stay with me at all times until it's over!"

"I will", she said calmly. "Don't worry."

"My balance and coordination will be affected, and my reaction time will be slower. Keep an eye on me until we get home, please!"

"I will", she repeated. "Don't worry."

"My heart rate will increase", he went on. "I drank a lot of this and I'm not used to it, so once we get home, I need you to monitor my vital signs. If my heart rate goes over 120, you need to call a doctor."

"Sergio", she said gently, "don't worry, it will be fine."

"How can I not worry, Raquel, I've ingested a psychotropic substance! I won't be in control of myself! I'll be confused, my short-term memory will be affected, I might become paranoid, and it might last up to _six_ _hours_."

"You're only going to get a little high", she smiled.

"I drank two cups, I'm going to get _very _high! I don't know how strongly I'll react to this, but the symptoms of high doses of marijuana are extreme confusion, anxiety, paranoia, panic, fast heart rate, delusions or hallucinations, increased blood pressure, severe nausea or vomiting, and…"

"Calm down", she said firmly. "None of that is going to happen to you, that tea wasn't nearly strong enough for that."

He wasn't listening. "I don't want anyone to see me like that. Once we get home, take me to the bedroom and keep me there!"

"Alright", she said, hurrying to keep up with him. "I will."

"Do you _promise?"_

"Yes", she said solemnly. "I promise."

They were halfway through the market when he suddenly stopped dead, his eyes wide.

"Oh no…" he whispered. "I think I can feel it. Oh no, oh no, oh no…"

She took his face between her hands.

"Sergio, look at me."

He looked down at her, his eyes wide with panic.

"I know you hate to lose control, but it's going to be fine. Now don't resist it, that might give you a bad reaction. Just… relax into it."

He swallowed hard, and she repeated more softly:

"It's going to be _fine_. I'm with you. I won't let anything bad happen to you. Okay?"

"Okay", he whispered.

"Do you trust me?"

He looked at her.

"Yes."

"Good. Then take a deep breath."

He closed his eyes and breathed in and out, and she could see some of the tension leave him.

"Better?"

"Yes", he said. "Thank you."

"Then let's get you home", she said, taking a firm hold of his hand as they continued down the street at a slower pace now. She kept shooting glances at him, and she saw him become visibly calmer as the drug took effect.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him after a few minutes, and he looked at her with a mild expression.

"Good", he said. "Quite good, actually."

"Great", she sighed in relief.

His expression became more and more dreamy as the end of the market street finally came in sight. Suddenly, he pulled her over to one of the stalls.

"Raquel, look!"

"What?" she said, looking at the completely normal flower stall.

"Look at those colors!"

She suppressed a smile. "Yes, they're very nice."

"Are you… are you not seeing this?" he said, his eyes full of wonder. "Look at that red, and that yellow, and have you ever seen such a deep blue? And do you smell that? It's amazing!"

She gave him an amused look. "I'm very happy you're stopping to smell the flowers for the first time in your life, but we have to get going, come on."

She pulled at his hand, but he wasn't moving.

"No", he whispered, transfixed by the flowers. "No, I want to stay here. I've never seen anything so beautiful."

"That's nice, darling", she said, throwing an apologetic smile at the owner of the stall, who was frowning at Sergio. "But we were going _home_."

"It's beautiful", he repeated, still looking at the flowers, so she caught his face between her hands and turned his head.

"Sergio, _focus."_

"Oh!" he breathed, his eyes soft with wonder. "Oh, you're beautiful too."

She smiled at him. "Thank you. Now do you want to come home with me?"

"Yes", he whispered, and when she pulled on his hand again, he followed her without resisting. He wasn't looking at his surroundings, though, keeping his eyes on her, and she was having great trouble making sure he didn't bump into things and people.

"Sergio", she laughed as he narrowly avoided walking into a stop sign. "Look where you're going!"

"But I want to look at you", he murmured, stopping and pulling her close to him. "Your eyes… your eyes are gorgeous."

"Thanks", she smiled up at him.

He bent his head to kiss her, but she took a quick step back.

"Not here, darling."

"Why not?"

"People don't like public displays of affection here, you know that."

"Oh", he smiled, stepping closer to her again. "Who cares about that?"

She grinned, stepping back again. "A lot of people, actually, including _you_ until ten minutes ago. You can't kiss me in the street."

"But I _want_ to kiss you", he whispered, his eyes full of longing. "I want to so badly I can't stand it."

She looked left and right, but they were away from the market now and on a quieter street, so she stood up on her toes and pressed her lips against his, just for an instant.

"Better?"

"Yes", he sighed happily.

She took his hand again and pulled him along down the street, but he kept stopping to try and kiss her again, and after the fifth time, she decided they'd better take a taxi, even though their house wasn't far. She flagged a passing taxi and opened the door to the back seat.

"Alright, let's get in", she said, but he closed his arms around her waist and nuzzled her ear.

"You're soft."

She laughed and motioned at the driver to give them a second.

"Sergio, we have to get into the taxi."

"Alright", he said, but he didn't move, pressing soft kisses to her cheek instead.

"_Now_", she said, and he nodded.

"Alright."

He still didn't move, however.

"Sergio, we have to go _home_, you said to take you to the bedroom and not to let you out, remember?"

"Why did I say that?"

"Because your judgment is impaired."

"Nonsense, I feel fine."

"I had to monitor your vital signs."

"My vital signs are fine too."

She thought for a moment, then said:

"If we go home, you can kiss me all you want."

His eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Really", she smiled.

"That sounds nice", he said softly.

"Yes, it does."

"I like kissing you."

"I like kissing you too, now will you please get in the taxi?"

Instead, he bent his head and pressed his lips to hers. She quickly pushed him away.

"No, not here, _home_, you get to kiss me when we're _home."_

"How do we get home?"

She was torn between exasperation and laughter.

"In the _taxi_, Sergio! Get in!"

He turned around and gave the waiting taxi a look of mild surprise.

"Oh!"

She gave him a little push and he finally got into the backseat.

"I apologize for him", she said to the driver as she got in beside Sergio. "He… uhm… he was put under anesthesia at the dentist and he's still a little loopy."

Sergio nicely proved her point by leaning back and sighing happily up at the roof of the car.

"What a wonderful day."

The driver laughed. "Maybe I should go to the dentist too."

She laughed too, but then shot Sergio a look. This was only the first cup – she was pretty sure the second one hadn't even hit him yet. She wondered what effect it would have. Thankfully, they were home within minutes, and she was relieved when he followed her inside without much trouble, only stopping once to look up at the clouds.

"Is everything okay in here?" she called out as they stepped through the front door.

"Yes, we're fine", came her mother's voice from outside, echoed by Anna's:

"Everything under control!"

"Good", Raquel said, pulling Sergio away from the front door, where he was running a finger thoughtfully over the texture of the wood. "Look, Sergio's not feeling well, he's going to lie down and I'm going to stay with him for a bit. We're in the bedroom if you need us."

She maneuvered Sergio through the house and into the bedroom, and heaved a sigh of relief as she closed and locked the door behind them.

He gave her a mild look. "Can we go sit on the beach?"

"No", she said firmly. "We absolutely can't."

"But I like the waves", he said dreamily.

She was pretty sure the second cup was starting to take effect now too.

"You said to keep you in the bedroom, Sergio."

He looked vaguely surprised. "Did I?"

"Yes, you did. You said not to let you out."

"Alright", he smiled, sitting down on the bed. "I suppose the bedroom's nice too."

She sat down next to him. "Okay, let me check your heart rate."

She took his wrist and counted his heartbeats as she kept an eye on her watch, while he was looking around the room with an air of mild interest.

"Your heart is fine", she assured him, but he didn't seem particularly bothered about that anymore.

"Of course it is", he smiled. "You worry too much."

She gave him an amused look, then movement in the corner of the room caught their eye, and they saw a little lizard scoot up the wall. Sergio stared at it in astonishment.

"Oh my god, Raquel, are you seeing this?"

"Yes", she said, trying not to laugh at the expression on his face. "It's a lizard."

"But… but it looks so silly!" he said, and then he started laughing, and it was so infectious that she started laughing too. "Look at the way it moves!"

He kept looking at the lizard in delight, and every time it scooted a little further, he let out another burst of laughter, which set Raquel off too, and soon there were tears on her cheeks and her stomach hurt.

"Sergio", she gasped, putting a hand on his cheek and making him look away from the wall. "Stop looking at the lizard, I can't… I can't breathe."

He gave her a happy grin. "You're funny."

"You're funny too", she grinned back.

She let herself fall back onto the bed, massaging her stomach, and he let himself fall next to her.

"Have you ever wondered…" he mused softly, "if lizards can fall in love?"

"No", she said, smiling. "I can honestly say that that thought has never occurred to me."

"Do you think a boy lizard sees a girl lizard one day and just… falls in love?"

"I'm not sure if there's a lot of romance involved when it comes to lizards. I think they're more of a 'first come, first served' kind of creature."

He turned serious eyes on her. "I met you one day and I fell in love."

"Yes", she smiled. "You're not a lizard."

"No", he said thoughtfully. "No, I'm not. If I were, I could walk up the wall."

"Yes, you could."

"And I would have scales."

"Indeed."

"And I would eat bugs. How do you think bugs taste? I mean, obviously not very good to us, but to a lizard…?"

She snapped her fingers. "Sergio, come back to me."

He turned his head to look at her and smiled.

"Hi."

"Hello darling", she smiled back. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling good", he said. "Do you know why I'm feeling so good?"

"Because you're _extremely_ high?" she laughed.

He chuckled. "No. Because I'm in love with you."

She gave him a soft look. "I'm in love with you too."

He suddenly looked doubtful. "Are you sure?"

"Yes", she smiled. "Quite sure."

He frowned. "How do I know you're not just saying that?"

Ah_, _she thought, paranoia_. _Not so bad now, but it could get worse if she let it spiral. So she patiently put a hand against his cheek and said:

"Would I lie to you?"

"I don't know…" he said, giving her a close look. "Would you?"

"No", she said earnestly. "No, I would never lie to you."

"You're in love with me too?"

"Yes, my love", she said, smiling as she stroked his cheek. "More than ever."

He relaxed and smiled back at her. "That's good. I would be sad if you didn't love me."

"I would be sad too."

He looked at her with wide eyes. "No, don't be sad!"

"I'm not", she explained. "I was just saying I _would _be sad if…"

"No, no!" he said. "Don't be sad!"

She laughed. "Sergio, I'm not sad!"

"So…" he gave her a close look. "You're… happy?"

"Yes", she smiled. "Very happy."

"Good", he said, clearly relieved.

There was a scuttling sound, and he looked up in surprise.

"It's only the lizard again", she said.

"You know", he said, smiling to himself, "that's a funny word. Lizard. Liz-ard. Lizzzzzard."

She was shaking with laughter again as he went on like that for a while. Then he suddenly sat up, his eyes wide, and she sat up too, concerned.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm hungry", he said. "_Really _hungry."

She laughed. "That's the munchies."

He got off the bed. "I'm going to get something to eat."

"No!" she said, scrambling after him and rushing to block the door. "You said not to let you out."

"But I'm hungry", he said, confused. "There's food in the kitchen, and I'm not in the kitchen."

"That's some _excellent_ logic", she grinned, "but you have to stay in here."

"But… I'm hungry", he repeated.

"I'll go get you something to eat", she said, but it wasn't registering.

"I'm just going to the kitchen", he said, then effortlessly picked her up, turned around and put her back down, and the next moment he was out the door.

She rushed after him, biting back laughter, and stopped him with a hand on his chest. She thought she could hear Anna in the kitchen, and she knew Sergio would hate to be seen like this.

"You get back in there, mister! I'll get you something to eat."

He made no move to turn around, though, so she put both hands against his chest and pushed, but he barely even budged, looking down at her in mild surprise.

"What are you doing?"

God, she hadn't fully realized how strong he was from working out every day. He was always so careful with her that she sometimes forgot how much bigger and stronger he was, but she felt it now. She stopped pushing at him and tried a different approach: she stood up on her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. From the way he kissed her back, she immediately knew that she had his attention, and she smiled as she pulled back.

"Do you want another kiss?"

"Yes", he said breathlessly, looking longingly at her lips.

"You can get another kiss in the bedroom."

He immediately turned around and followed her willingly back through the door, then he let her push him down onto the bed. She bent down and kissed him again, then said:

"I'm going out for just a second to get you some food. If you wait here for me, I'll give you another kiss when I get back. Okay?"

"Okay", he nodded, and this time she thought he'd actually understood.

She hurried to the kitchen, where Anna was just putting away some dishes.

"How is Sergio?" she asked.

"Uhm…" Raquel hesitated, suppressing a smile. "He's not entirely himself today. I'm going to stay with him until he feels better. Can you stay with my mother?"

"Yes, of course. She's feeling better, she asked for a long walk. Is that okay?"

"Sure", Raquel said, thinking the less people there were in the house, the better.

Anna nodded. "We'll be back in an hour or so."

"Good", Raquel said.

She grabbed the fruit they'd brought back from the market, then rushed back to the bedroom, where Sergio's eyes lit up at the sight of the food.

"Are those mangoes?"

"Yes."

He looked at them hungrily, whispering:

"I want to eat all the mangoes in the world."

"How about we start with these ones?" she smiled.

They sat cross-legged on the bed and ate together, and she couldn't help but laugh at his delight over every new piece of fruit.

"Oh my god!" he exclaimed over and over again. "This is _so good_! Raquel, you have to taste this!"

He kept holding out bits of fruit to her and she ate them dutifully, assuring him each time that, yes, they were _very _good. When all the fruit was gone, she pulled him into the bathroom so they could wash their hands and he spent a while just staring at the running water. When she finally got him back onto the bed again, he lay down and pulled her close to him.

"You promised me a kiss", he murmured.

"Oh, _that _you remember", she smiled, then pressed her lips against his.

When he pulled back and looked at her, his eyes were very serious.

"I just realized something", he said, so solemnly that she caught his mood.

"What?" she said softly.

He reached out a hand and brushed a lock of hair away from her cheek.

"I've never seen anything as beautiful as you are", he murmured. "Not in all of the world."

She smiled, thinking that she could get used to this. He leaned in to kiss her again, running his tongue over her lips, and she opened her mouth to let him in.

"You taste so sweet", he murmured, his lips still against hers. "There's nothing that tastes better than you do."

"Not even the mango?" she teased him, and his eyes got a dreamy look again.

"Oh, that mango was good…" Then he focused on her again. "But you taste better."

He leaned in for another kiss and they sank into it this time – a slow, sensual kiss, tasting, exploring. Then he started stroking her arm and gasped.

"What?" she said, alarmed.

"You're so soft!" he said, getting on his knees and taking her hand, running his fingers over her wrist in wonder. "Your skin is _so soft _I want to cry_."_

She laughed quietly as he brushed his fingers up and down from her wrist to her elbow, over and over again, his eyes wide. Then he lifted her hand, almost reverently, to his lips and kissed her palm. He closed his eyes as he kissed her wrist, then he trailed his lips slowly up her arm, pressing kisses to her skin along the way, lingering in the crook of her elbow, which made her giggle because of his beard. He moved up to her shoulder, then he started kissing her neck.

"Oh, you're even softer here", he murmured happily. "And you smell _so nice._"

She tilted her head with a smile, and waited patiently as he kept exploring her for a long time, just brushing his lips against her neck, her throat, over her jawline and her cheeks. He spent a full five minutes nuzzling her ear and pressing tiny kisses to her earlobe. She had to admit that she didn't mind this at all – he was so sweet, so delighted with her, uttering soft sounds of amazement at every new discovery. He was conducting a full and thorough exploration of her body, trailing kisses along her collarbone and down her chest, then pushing up her top to press light kisses to her stomach, making her laugh and squirm as his beard tickled her.

"Stop that!" she exclaimed, trying to push his head away, but he gave her a pleading look.

"I don't want to stop kissing you."

"Then kiss me somewhere else, at least", she smiled.

He pushed her top up further and kissed a nipple through her bra.

"Hmm… like here?"

She hesitated. "Well, I don't _mind_, exactly, but… maybe we shouldn't start something we can't finish?"

He kissed her neck again. "Who says we can't finish it?"

She looked at him in surprise. "I don't know, can you even get hard when you're high?"

He took her hand and moved it down.

"Definitely yes."

She smiled. "But are you in the mood?"

"Also definitely yes."

He was kissing her neck again, stroking her stomach, then he moved up his hand to run his thumb over her nipple and she felt her body react to his touch – there was a tingle between her legs, and her nipples hardened. He squeezed one, and she gasped, then sat up to take off her top and bra. When she lay back down, he immediately dipped down his head to take a nipple into his mouth and she sighed happily as he sucked it – but then he veered off course to press kisses to the rest of her breast.

"Oh", he murmured in delight between kisses, "oh, so soft."

She waited patiently for a bit, then gently guided him back to her nipple, but he seemed to keep getting distracted by the softness of her breasts, because he kept returning to kissing around her nipple, seeming lost in wonder.

"Sergio", she finally laughed, "if we're going to do this, you're going to have to focus."

"Yes", he said, shaking himself and coming up to lie beside her so he could kiss her. "Yes, you're right. You're just so delightful."

She smiled, then they started undressing each other, slowly, unhurriedly, until all their clothes were gone. Then they lay back down, and she stroked his chest and stomach as he kissed her again.

"Oh", he breathed, a soft smile on his face. "That feels really nice."

"How are you feeling?"

"Amazing", he sighed happily, and she chuckled.

"You're sure you want to do this, right?"

"Yes please", he smiled, leaning in for another kiss. "I want to make love with you, you're so wonderful."

She lay back with a smile and let him take charge, allowing him to set the pace and choose what he wanted to do. He ran his hands lovingly down her body, stroking her sides and her stomach, caressing her hips and thighs.

"Your skin is so smooth", he murmured. "You're so beautiful. So, so beautiful."

She stretched luxuriously, thoroughly enjoying this worship of her body. She opened her legs to him and he ran his hand up and down the inside of her thighs until she was squirming for him to touch her. Finally he brushed his fingers against her, and she shivered.

"You're wet", he whispered, and she nodded.

"Yes", she whispered back. "I want you."

He came to lie on top of her, and she wrapped her arms around him, enjoying his weight, his warmth. He looked down at her and she smiled up at him, a little breathless with longing – she didn't want to rush him when he was feeling so mellow, but feeling him hard between her thighs was making her ache to have him inside her. He took his time to kiss her, though, which only made her ache more, and she was more than happy when he finally reached down and guided himself to her.

When he entered her, she sighed with the bliss of feeling him fill her up, and he drew in a shuddering breath.

"_Oh_", he gasped. "Oh, that feels incredible."

He started moving in and out of her, uttering a soft moan every time he pushed in, which surprised her, because he wasn't usually this vocal. She wondered what it was like for him, how he was experiencing this – but then he picked up the pace and all thoughts were extinguished as she gave herself over to the pleasure of it, moving her hips in time with his, her hands in his hair, little moans escaping from her lips as he took her harder. It didn't take long before he tensed, and she stroked the back of his neck as he came with a cry, shuddering as he pushed into her again and again, and it seemed to last longer than usual before he collapsed on top of her, out of breath. She held him contentedly – she loved these moments before he took his weight off of her, when he was happy and relaxed in her arms, all hers. It seemed to take him a while to come back to his senses, and when he did, he rolled off her and looked up at the ceiling with an expression of absolute bliss on his face.

"_Oh my god_", he breathed. "That was mind-blowing."

"Really?" she said curiously. "Better than usual?"

He nodded wordlessly, then pulled her close to him so he could nuzzle her ear.

"You're amazing, you know that? _Amazing._"

She smiled. "You should get high more often."

"Yeah", he whispered, and she looked up at him with a laugh.

"That was a _joke_, Sergio!"

"I know", he said quickly, but then he bent his head close to hers and whispered: "But do you want to know a secret?"

"Yes", she smiled.

"This feels really nice. I like it."

She grinned. "Am I going to have to put a lock on the tea cupboard?"

He laughed, then said:

"Please. I'm a master criminal – if I want to get to that weed, a lock won't stop me."

They cuddled happily for a while, then his eyes started closing.

"Would you mind if I took a nap?" he murmured, and she kissed his cheek.

"No, of course not. Sleep it off."

She stayed with him until he'd drifted off to sleep, then she got up, got dressed and went to check on her mother, who was just returning from her walk. When she checked her watch, she realized it was almost time to pick up Paula from school, but she didn't want to leave Sergio alone – he might wake up before the drug was out of his system and then he might panic if she wasn't there. So she called the parents of Paula's friend Marisol and asked them if they could take Paula home from school and keep her for a few hours until Raquel could come pick her up.

She spent some time with her mother, then started dinner, checking every once in a while on Sergio as he slept. He finally woke up right before dinner, and walked into the kitchen looking extremely embarrassed.

"Hey", she said. "How are you feeling?"

"My head is clear again, but oh my god", he said, pressing his hands to his face. "I made such a fool of myself."

She pulled his hands away and kissed his cheek.

"Nonsense."

He shook his head. "Never again."

"Really?" she grinned. "That's not what you were saying a couple of hours ago."

He shuddered. "I wasn't thinking straight. I… I suppose it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I feel ridiculous now."

"You were extremely adorable", she smiled, kissing his cheek again, and he groaned.

"You're not making it better!"

"I hope you'll pay more attention to what you're eating or drinking in the future."

"Why?" he said drily. "Do you keep any more psychotropic substances in the house? Are there hallucinogenic mushrooms in the fridge? XTC among the candy?"

"No", she said lightly, "just some cocaine in the sugar bowl."

He laughed and shook his head, then proceeded to set the table.

They had dinner with Marivi and Anna, who asked Sergio solicitously how he was feeling, making him go red and mumble something inaudible. Then Raquel got a phone call from Paula at Marisol's, asking if she was allowed to sleep over, and Raquel agreed, relieved that she was saved a long trip in the dark. After dinner, Marivi and Anna went to bed early, and Raquel and Sergio retreated back into their bedroom.

They let themselves fall onto the bed, then Raquel turned to Sergio.

"So… was it really better than usual?"

"What?"

"Having sex."

"Ah", he said, just a touch of dreaminess returning to his eyes. "Yes, it was. All of my senses were heightened, it was… an experience."

"Was it a big difference?"

He thought about it. "I'd say it was about twenty percent more pleasurable and about twenty-five percent more intense."

"That's a lot", she said, then she shot him a look. "Are you feeling entirely yourself again?"

"Yes", he said. "Why?"

Her eyes started sparkling.

"I want to try it."

"Excuse me?"

"I want to get high and have sex with you."

He stared at her. "Please tell me you're joking."

"Oh come on", she grinned. "You can't tell me you had the best sex of your life and then say I can't try it!"

"Have you never done it before?"

"I smoked pot in college a few times with my friends, but I never had sex when I was high."

"Raquel, I don't know if I like the idea…"

She sat up. "Why not?"

He sat up too, thinking.

"Well… I'm not sure I feel comfortable having sex with you when your judgment is impaired. Can you even give me proper consent when you're high?"

She considered this. "Did you feel like your judgment was impaired when we had sex earlier?"

His face cleared. "No, not really. I just felt really relaxed and happy, but I knew exactly what I was doing and what I was agreeing to."

"There you go", she said, satisfied.

He rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you're _actually _going to get high. You used to be a _cop_, Raquel_."_

She grinned broadly. "Well, I'm not a cop anymore. Time to celebrate that."

"Are you going to make tea again?"

"No", she said, "I'm going to smoke it properly."

She still had the occasional hand-rolled cigarette, so she kept some tobacco and supplies in the house, and she snuck out to the kitchen to get some of the marijuana out of the tea cupboard.

"Do you think this is about the right amount?" she asked him as she rolled it into a cigarette on the bed.

He snorted. "Don't look at me! You're the expert… apparently."

She felt a fizzing sense of excitement in her stomach as she lit the joint.

"Alright", she grinned. "Here we go."

She put the joint to her lips and took a drag.

"How long will it take to have effect?" he asked her.

"Just a few minutes", she said, taking another drag. "It happens much faster when you smoke it compared to when you eat or drink it."

She took a third drag, then stubbed out the cigarette.

"That should do it", she said. "I don't want to get as high as you were."

He nodded. "Good idea. I was pretty far gone."

"How about I take this off?" she smiled, reaching out to unbutton his shirt, eager to get started.

He stopped her hand, however.

"Why don't we wait and see how you feel once it takes effect?"

She gave him a soft look. She loved how careful he was with her, how protective. She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips, and he smiled at her. Suddenly she felt the drug take effect, so fast that it made her head spin a little, and for a moment she felt disoriented. Too late, she realized that she'd smoked that joint like a regular cigarette, taking deep breaths and keeping the smoke in for a bit, when she should probably have taken lighter drags. She could feel the effect grow stronger, and she realized that she was going to get higher than she wanted to be. With a growing feeling of alarm, she struggled against the drug, trying to hold onto her clarity, her eyes wide, but then Sergio's hand was in hers and he touched her cheek.

"Are you okay?"

"It's… it's stronger than I thought", she said, on the verge of panicking.

"It's alright", he murmured, stroking her hand with his thumb. "You can relax, I'm here with you. I'll keep you safe."

She felt her resistance fade away as she looked into his eyes, calm and steady. As long as he was with her, she wasn't scared of anything. So she allowed herself to surrender to the drug, letting herself drift away gently on the buzz, and soon she felt relaxed and happy.

"Ah", she sighed, letting herself fall back onto the bed. "This is quite nice."

There was a dreamy quality to reality as she looked around the room, and she smiled as her eye fell on Sergio, who was regarding her attentively.

"Come here", she murmured, reaching out a hand to him, and he shifted closer.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Good", she smiled. "_Really_ good."

She leaned in to kiss him, but instead she got caught up in the smell of him, so familiar, so wonderful. She veered off course to bury her face against his chest and just breathed in deeply – _oh, _how she loved the way he smelled. She hummed her contentment and pressed herself closer to him, sighing in delight when he wrapped his arms around her. For a moment she leaned her head against his chest and just let herself be held, basking in the warm feeling of it, breathing him in, and she thought how perfectly happy she would be just to stay that way all night. But then she pressed a kiss to his chest, and once she started kissing him, she couldn't stop, trailing kisses up his neck until she reached his face.

"I love kissing you", she whispered.

"Really?" he smiled. "I hadn't noticed. You hide it so well."

She looked at him in amazement.

"What are you talking about, I don't hide it at all!"

"Seriously", he said, his eyes wide with innocence, "I had no idea you liked kissing me."

She stared at him, baffled.

"But… I really do love it."

"Hmm", he said, "I'm not sure I believe you."

She blinked at him in confusion. How could he _possibly _not believe her?

"Maybe…" he said slowly, his eyes dancing, "_maybe_ you should _prove _that you like kissing me."

"Oh!" she said, smiling as comprehension dawned on her.

"Because you _say _you love kissing me, but you don't actually do it." He gestured at himself. "See, here I am, completely unkissed."

She laughed, then proceeded to cover his entire face in kisses until he was laughing and pushing her away in mock protest.

"Okay, okay, that's enough proof!"

"Do you believe me now?"

"Yes", he chuckled, "you were very convincing. But you know… that wasn't really the kind of kiss I had in mind."

"What kind did you have in mind then?" she smiled.

He cupped her face in his hand, then slowly pressed his lips to hers.

"This kind", he murmured. "But only if you want to."

"Yes", she whispered. "I want to."

She drew down his head to kiss him again, surprised by the sensation. She felt everything so much more keenly – the softness of his lips and the prickly hairs of his beard, and the contrast between the two – the soft sound of his breathing – the warmth of his mouth on hers. With the next kiss, she opened her mouth a little to lightly run her tongue over his lips. He smiled and parted his lips to touch just the tip of his tongue to hers, the feeling of it causing a little jolt of electricity that she felt all the way down to her stomach.

"Oh", she whispered. "Do that again."

He obliged her, and she shivered and tangled her fingers into his hair as she deepened the kiss. The taste of him was warm and smooth, and she explored him like she'd never kissed him before, every sensation new and fresh and interesting. She lost herself in those kisses for a long time, and he didn't rush her in any way, kissing her back with passion and tenderness, returning to her whatever she was giving him. Finally her hands descended from his hair to stroke the back of his neck, and then she moved down to stroke his shoulders, but something wasn't right.

She pulled back from him and frowned, plucking at his shirt.

"Why do you have this on?"

He looked at her, confused. "My shirt?"

"Yes."

He laughed. "Because people wear clothes, generally."

"I don't like it, take it off."

"Alright", he smiled, sitting up to unbutton his shirt and shrug out of it. "It's off. Better?"

"Yes", she sighed, reaching out to touch his skin. "Much better."

She ran her hands over him, losing track of her thoughts for a while as she became mesmerized by the pattern of hair on his chest, then she trailed her fingers over his stomach, to stop at his waistband.

"Those are really stupid pants", she observed, and he laughed and sat up.

"Yes, yes, I get it, I'll take them off too."

"My clothes are in the way too", she said, sitting up, and he nodded and helped her out of her clothes until they were both naked. They lay down skin to skin and kept kissing as they caressed each other – oh, it was so lovely to feel his hands on her, stroking her gently, lovingly, his fingers effortlessly finding her most sensitive spots and lingering there to make her sigh. When her own hand dipped below his waist, she found him hard, and he swallowed hard as she stroked him.

"Raquel", he murmured, "are you sure you want to do this?"

She nodded, pressing her hips against him, making him gasp, but he didn't allow himself to get distracted yet.

"Tell me what exactly you want to do. I need to know you're aware of what you're agreeing to."

"I want to make love to you, Sergio", she murmured, pressing kisses to his neck. "I want you to kiss me everywhere and touch me everywhere and then I want you inside of me." She bit his earlobe. "Is that clear enough for you?"

"Yes", he smiled, "perfectly."

She laughed in delight as he rolled her onto her back and started covering her with kisses, playfully at first, then more sensual, and she lay back and enjoyed the feeling of his mouth on her, of his warm breath playing over her skin. Her desire for him, usually so insistent, was a low, golden hum in her belly as she surrendered to his caresses. He circled her nipples, then flicked his tongue over them, over and over again, causing little shudders to run right through her, and when he took a nipple in his mouth and sucked, she gasped sharply at the sudden intensity of the sensation, the feeling of it hot between her legs.

He continued his kisses down her stomach, and she opened her legs to him in eager anticipation. He settled himself between them and kissed the inside of her thighs, sending little thrills of excitement to her core, making her long to feel his mouth on her. Finally he moved up and ran his tongue over her, so light that it made her shiver.

"Yes?" he asked her teasingly, and she nodded fervently.

"Yes", she said. "Yes, yes, _yes."_

He pressed his mouth to her and she threw her head back with a moan.

"_Oh!_"

The pleasure of it was so intense, she soon lost herself completely in the sensation, his tongue _right there _the only feeling in the world and it felt _so good. _She gripped the sheets tightly, feeling like they were her only hold on reality, like she would come undone if she released them, and she tilted her hips for an even better feeling, every breath a gasp. She felt energy pool in her lower belly, a bright, sparkling flood of it, building up an exquisite pressure that was just begging to be released, and when he suddenly hit _just _the right spot, the feeling of it engulfed her, making her back arch off the bed as she cried out again and again, holding onto the sheets for dear life. It lasted much longer than usual – a boundless eternity of breathless ecstasy – or at least that's what it felt like, and little stars were dancing behind her closed eyelids by the time she relaxed back down on the bed and he pulled away.

He came up to hold her, stroking her shoulder as she recovered. Finally she looked up at him with shining eyes.

"_Wow_."

He smiled. "I know."

"That was _amazing."_

He nodded and bent his head to kiss her.

"Now I want to try everything else as well", she whispered, trying to pull him on top of her, but he gathered her in his arms and rolled onto his back so she was on top of him.

"I'm all yours", he murmured. "Why don't you do what feels good to you?"

She nodded, recognizing that he was allowing her to set the pace, like she had done with him earlier. She smiled and kissed him, feeling so warm and soft and happy in his arms, then she sat up and straddled him, and he breathed a soft sigh as she reached down and wrapped her fingers around him. She lifted her hips and slowly sank down on him, gasping loudly as he entered her. The feeling of it was indescribable, and she felt like she needed something to hold onto again, reaching out to take his hand and squeeze it tight as she slowly took him inside of her, every added inch evoking new delights until he filled her up completely. The sensation of it was so overwhelming that she bent down and buried her face against his chest, moaning softly as he took her in his arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he stroked her back.

"Yes", she whispered. "Can we… can we stay like this for a bit?"

"As long as you want to", he murmured. "We don't have to move at all if this is enough for you."

Oh, it just felt so _right_ to have him there, like he was always supposed to be there, like he _belonged_ there. This was clearly how they were meant to be, she and him, joined in the most intimate way. After a while, she got used to the feeling enough to start moving – she slowly lifted her hips, but his absence from her felt unbearable, so she quickly sank down on him again, and again, and again.

At first, she wasn't aware of anything but the delicious sensations inside of her, but gradually her awareness broadened again to the rest of her body, to the way her skin tingled all over, the way she felt every movement they made reverberate through her entire body. She became aware of him as well, of the way his hands were caressing her hips, of the way he moved with her so easily, and mostly of the way he kept his gaze on her as she moved, his eyes shining with admiration. She shook back her hair with a smile – the way he was looking at her made her feel so warm and adored… she arched her back with pleasure… oh, she had never felt so beautiful.

As she kept moving up and down on him, their slow, rhythmic movements made her go into a dreamlike state that was absolutely lovely. She felt outside of time as they moved together, smoothly, seamlessly, for what seemed like a long time. When he finally moved his hand between her legs and placed a finger in just the right spot, she tilted her head back and moaned softly as the pleasure of it created a warm glow in her center, which spread slowly to the rest of her body until she was gasping at how good it felt. She kept riding him as he stroked her there, and the combined sensations were so exquisite that she felt like she could cry because this was heaven. She reached her tipping point and suddenly she was flying, lifted up into air as she gave herself over to wave after wave of shimmering pleasure.

When she came back down, she found herself warm in his arms, lying on his chest as he stroked her back.

"Sergio?" she whispered.

"Yes, my love?"

"That was amazing."

"I know."

"That was incredible."

He chuckled softly.

"I'm glad."

She cuddled closer to him.

"I'm so happy I got to experience this with you."

He kissed her hair. "Me too."

She felt closer to him than ever now. She knew the experience had only been this good because she trusted him so completely, because she felt so safe with him – safer than she had ever felt with anyone before. With him, she could surrender control completely, knowing that he would always take care of her, that her comfort was always his first priority.

He echoed her thoughts.

"Raquel", he murmured, "thank you for staying with me before. I would have panicked without you, but with you… it was an amazing experience."

"Yes", she said happily. "It was."

"How are you feeling now?"

"Wonderful", she smiled, as her eyes closed. "And a little sleepy."

"Then you should sleep."

Her love for him was a warm, comforting glow in her belly, and with his arms around her, she slowly drifted off to sleep. She had the most wonderful dreams that night.


End file.
